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Man killed after riding e-scooter along French motorway

30-year-old who passed away on Friday becomes third victim of e-scooter-related accidents in Paris region since April

Vincent Wood
Sunday 11 August 2019 18:59 EDT
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He is not believed to have been wearing a helmet at the time of the incident
He is not believed to have been wearing a helmet at the time of the incident (Getty)

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A man has been killed in France while riding an electric scooter along a motorway in the third death of its kind in four months.

The 30-year-old was struck by a motorbike as he travelled on the A86 at Vélizy-Villacoublay, to the southwest of Paris, on Friday evening.

He is not believed to have been wearing a helmet at the time of the incident, and was reportedly travelling in the fast lane of the motorway when he was hit from behind by the vehicle.

The biker, who was found unconscious, was taken to hospital shortly after the collision.

A source told Euronews: "This was a direct impact and the bike was found 400 meters away from the victims, probably having continued to roll after the impact.”

E-scooters are considered to only be suitable for pedestrian use under french law, and are not permitted to be used on roads.

However that has not stopped some from attempting to take the emerging modes of transport onto the busy thoroughfares.

In January a man was filmed driving an e-scooter at more than 50 miles per hour down the same A86 road near Seine-Saint-Denis.

Friday’s victim is the third fatality on the roads involving an electric scooter in four months in the Paris area. In June a 25-year-old was killed after colliding with a lorry in the city’s 18th arrondissement.

Meanwhile in April an 81-year-old pedestrian was struck down by one of the vehicles in Levallois-Perret.

It comes after the first such death in the UK. Youtube and Channel 4 presenter Emily Hartridge was killed when she collided with a lorry at a roundabout in Battersea, London.

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