Two children injured after Cape Coral e-scooter crash at shopping plaza

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

Two children were injured Thursday night when a car struck their electric scooter at The Shops at Surfside Plaza in Cape Coral, police said.

Witness video shared with Gulf Coast News showed Cape Coral police officers, firefighters, and Lee County EMS responding to the scene Thursday night.

“We started seeing the cops start rolling in and then the ambulance and then the fire trucks,” said Tracy Stuber, owner of Paradise Deli & Grill. “When I tell you, I wish I took a picture.”

Stuber said business owners in the area have grown increasingly concerned about children riding bikes and scooters through the plaza parking lot.

“We have a problem with kids riding their bikes or scooters, the electric bikes, all that, going through weaving in and out of traffic,” Stuber said.

Police said a vehicle struck the two juveniles while they were riding together on the scooter.

On Friday, children were still seen riding bikes through the shopping center parking lot, with some performing wheelies and others riding multiple people on a single bike.

“You don’t want to see kids get hurt,” Stuber said. “They do need somewhere to ride their bikes and be kids and do stuff but a parking lot at a plaza is not it.”

Kelly Sigler, owner of Kelly’s Dance, said the crash highlights the need for safer spaces where children can ride and gather.

“I just feel like if there’s an open area, if there’s sidewalks and that kind of thing, just for the kids to let them be kids,” Sigler said. “Like I said, they could be out stealing or vandalizing.”

Cape Coral Police Department sent Gulf Coast News a statement that says: "The preliminary investigation shows that two juveniles were riding on one e-scooter meant for one individual; no injuries were ultimately determined to be life-threatening. That is the only information we can confirm at this time."

Police have not released additional details about the crash, including whether any citations or charges are pending.

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