Advertisement

Ukrainian boy, 5, killed in French Riviera e-scooter collision

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Ukrainian boy, 5, killed in French Riviera e-scooter collision
Promenade des anglais in Nice. Illustration photo by Valery HACHE / AFP

A five-year-old Ukrainian refugee died on Thursday after being hit by an electric scooter being ridden at high speed in the southern French city of Nice, police said.

Advertisement

The child and his mother were crossing the Promenade des Anglais, the famous palm-lined street overlooking the Mediterranean, at a pedestrian crossing when the accident happened on Wednesday.

The boy "was holding a bag that his mother was also holding, but was walking a bit ahead of her", police said, adding they were "hidden by street furniture".

A 40-year-old on an electric scooter who was going "at excessive speed" could not avoid the child, they said.

Advertisement

"Despite being injured and having fallen, the rider of the electric scooter immediately cared for the child," they added.

Nice mayor Christian Estrosi, on Twitter, expressed his "deep emotion" over the incident and opposition to self-service scooters.

"We are studying all possible solutions for avoiding these tragedies," he said.

According to police in the Riviera city, accidents involving electric scooters are increasingly occurring, especially on roads.

In Paris authorities have brought in strict limits on e-scooters, including speed limits and a limit on the number of operators allowed, after a spate of problems. 

The boy's family had arrived in France at the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the head of a French-Ukrainian association in the Riviera, Iryna Podyriako, told the Nice-Matin regional daily.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also