Lucas Buitenweg, a 12-year-old from Molkom, Sweden, suffered severe injuries after losing control of an electric scooter. The accident left him with broken arms, a fractured jaw, and other injuries. Despite wearing a helmet, Lucas faces a long recovery, highlighting the risks of electric scooters for young riders.
12-Year-Old Lucas Suffers Severe Injuries in Electric Scooter Accident
12-Year-Old Lucas Suffers Severe Injuries in Electric Scooter Accident
Lucas Buitenweg,
On a Sunday during the summer break, Lucas and his friend were cycling in their hometown of Molkom, Värmland.
Lucas's friend had his electric scooter with him.
– I’m not really allowed to ride it by my mom, but I asked if I could try, and he said yes, says Lucas, as previously reported by Värmlands Folkblad.
He stood on the electric scooter and sped down a long asphalt hill.
– It went well at first, but then I felt it start to shake more and more.
What happened next, Lucas doesn’t fully remember. When he woke up, he was lying in a ditch by the side of the road.
– At first, I didn’t feel anything, but when I looked down at my arms, I realized how much pain I was in. My friend came running when he heard me scream.
Gravel Stuck in the Wheel
A stone from the road had lodged in the scooter’s wheel, causing Lucas to lose control and crash. In the fall, he broke both arms and his jaw, opened a large wound on his chin, and shattered several teeth.
– When I looked at my arms, I first thought it couldn’t be real; they looked completely crooked. I was also very dizzy. It felt unreal.
With his friend’s help, he called his mom, who came immediately and drove him to the nearest emergency room.
The drive to the hospital took half an hour, during which his thoughts and pain caught up with him.
– I got really scared and felt the pain increasing, it hurt a lot.
Stitched, Operated, and Casted
At the emergency room, he was placed in a trauma room where he was given morphine and temporary casts for his arms. He received three stitches on his chin and underwent several X-rays on his arms and head.
The next day, he underwent surgery, and metal pieces and rubber bands were placed in his mouth to prevent him from moving his broken jaw too much.
– If I hadn’t been wearing a helmet, I probably wouldn’t be alive today, says Lucas when reflecting on the accident.
Needs Help to Eat
Now, a week and a half later, Lucas is home and adjusting to a slightly different summer break ahead, as he cannot be as active as he usually is.
His days now mostly consist of playing video games on the couch and taking gentle walks. He needs help with tasks like eating and brushing his teeth.
– It’s not very fun because I can’t move much. I can’t go out and play football with my friends like I usually do.
Tired of Food Through a Straw
For three weeks, Lucas can only eat liquid food to allow his jaw to heal. Several times a day, he drinks meal replacement beverages.
– I don’t like them; I’m already tired of them.
Lucas’s mother, Manja Buitenweg, was shaken by the incident, seeing her child so injured and taking him to the hospital in such pain. But she is not surprised that the accident happened.
No one at that age is mature enough to ride an electric scooter, she believes.
– I am, of course, incredibly glad he was wearing a helmet because he landed on his arms first, then his head, so it could have been even worse.
And after the traumatic accident, Lucas is not at all eager to ride an electric scooter again.
– I won’t do it, and if I do, I will wear a helmet. But I will probably wait a very long time.