Teen critically injured in Waterford e-motorcycle crash
A 15-year-old boy was critically injured when an SUV hit him while he was riding an electric motorcycle through a crosswalk.
The Waterford Township Police Department said officers and Waterford Regional Fire Department crews responded about 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at Williams Lake Road and Airport Road.
Police said the Waterford teen was crossing Williams Lake Road in the crosswalk on the west side of Airport Road when he disregarded a “Do Not Walk” signal and was hit by a Chevrolet Equinox passing through a green light.
He was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak and was listed in critical but stable condition in the department’s Oct. 23 release. The Equinox driver, a 35-year-old woman from Highland, wasn't injured.
Electric motorcycles and e-bikes under Michigan law
An electric motor alone doesn’t make a vehicle an e-bike under Michigan law. Under the state’s electric-bicycle definition, a qualifying device must have a seat or saddle, fully operable pedals, a motor no greater than 750 watts and meet one of three statutory classes. Those classes distinguish pedal assistance from throttle power and set motor-assistance limits of 20 or 28 mph.
The distinction affects which riding rules apply. Michigan generally subjects qualifying e-bike riders to bicycle requirements, with additional class-specific restrictions. A machine without fully operable pedals or with a motor over 750 watts doesn’t qualify as an e-bike. Modifications that take the motor’s speed or engagement outside the statutory classes can also remove that classification.
The machine’s specifications can matter after a crash, too. Michigan Legal Center’s explanation of bicycle and e-bike accident claims describes how the class label, purchase records and modification history can help resolve a disputed vehicle classification. Preserve those records and the machine so its actual equipment can be checked.
Get help from Michigan Legal Center
Michigan Legal Center: the Law Offices of Christopher J. Trainor & Associates handles motorcycle accident and serious injury claims.
If you or your child was injured in a crash involving an electric motorcycle or e-bike, contact Michigan Legal Center to ask whether Michigan Legal Center can help.
There is no attorney fee unless money is recovered for you. Case costs and fee terms are governed by the written fee agreement.
Michigan Legal Center also provides information about legal help with car accident claims.