Pediatric e-bike injuries are rising in San Diego and are drawing attention from physicians in pediatrics, emergency medicine, orthopedics, trauma surgery, imaging, rehabilitation, and follow-up care. Local reporting from CBS 8 on a Rady Children’s Hospital-led study said e-bike crashes involving children rose more than 300% over four years, with many of those cases reaching the hospital’s trauma unit and involving severe injuries.
The local trend is no longer marginal. KPBS reported that in 2017, e-bikes accounted for less than 2% of serious crashes involving riders younger than 18 who received treatment at Rady Children’s, but by 2023, that figure had climbed to nearly 40%. KPBS also quoted Dr. Justin Assioun, who treats e-bike injuries at Rady Children’s, saying, “(In 2021) we had three trauma activations related to e-bike accidents. Fast forward to the end of 2025, and the number was 262.” Rady Children’s identifies Assioun as an Emergency Medicine/Urgent Care physician with Rady Children’s Specialists of San Diego.
CHOC Pediatrica, summarizing the same Rady-led research, reported that the study was the first to look at speed factors and e-bike injuries in children and teens and said Rady’s emergency department saw 201 such trauma patients in 2025, up from 125 in 2024 and one in 2021.
A separate CHOC Pediatrica report added an orthopedic context, describing research that found the severity of some pediatric e-bike injuries comparable to that of motor vehicle accidents. In that report, pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Schlechter said, “We’re putting implants in children that I’ve never seen put on a 13-year-old knee. These implants were reserved for adults with poor bone quality or who were in a high-speed motor vehicle accident.”
The broader evidence base points in the same direction. Reporting on the underlying study in Injury found that speed-related pediatric e-bike injuries were associated with a higher incidence of head, neck, or facial injuries, more internal organ injuries, and a higher rate of hospital admission than other causes of e-bike trauma.
The downstream concern includes emergency department capacity. Inewsource reported that physicians have warned that the trend could strain emergency services, particularly at smaller hospitals. Dr. William Bianchi, medical director of emergency medicine at Sharp Coronado Hospital, said e-bike injuries could overwhelm the hospital’s 15-bed emergency department.
For physicians across specialties, the relevant watchpoints are trauma activation volume, fracture and operative demand, imaging burden, admission patterns, and whether local regulation changes the severity mix reaching San Diego hospitals.