Girl, 5, scarred for life after she was struck by ‘near silent’ electric bike and ‘dragged 50ft down street’

A five-year-old girl has been scarred for life after she was struck by a "near silent" electric bike - which dragged her 50ft down the street.

The electric moped allegedly zoomed through a footpath and straight into Emily Hill when she was getting into a car at the very end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

She now faces cosmetic surgery after the incident caused her to have 24 stitches to facial and head wounds.

Doctors have warned she may need hair-follicle graft surgery following the accident in Keighley, West Yorkshire

Emily was not expecting any motorised traffic to emerge from the footpath to her right, and she did not hear the USB charged dirt bike.

Her devastated parents said few people are aware of the dangers of the bikes, some of which reach speeds of 47mph - but only require a moped license.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire police said inquiries are ongoing.

‘These bikes are dangerous’

Mum Leigh, a billing administrator, 23, said: “We have all been through weeks of hell.

"Many people think electric bikes are safe, but we have learned the hardest way possible they are not.

“These bikes are dangerous. They are silent and can move as fast as a car.

“There are no checks that the people who buy or ride them will do so safely.

“They are targeted at teens and young adults, but they are not toys.

“They need to be made to make a humming sound like electric scooters and cars.

“Nothing prepares you for seeing your child’s skull. I felt sick.

“You vow to protect your children and then something awful like this happens and you haven’t been able to."

Dad Sam, 27, a customer service supervisor added: “Some of them can travel up to 50 miles per hour and can be silent and that's deadly."

Emily had 24 stitches at hospital

Sam and Leigh were picking up Emily and brother Charlie, three, from their aunt's house when the accident happened at around 6.10pm on June 11.

The home was at the end of a cul-de-sac so Emily only looked left up the road, before stepping off the pavement, into the road, to go round to the car door.

But the dead-end road is adjoined by a footpath to Emily's right - and a dirt bike rider allegedly drove through bollards, onto the road, and into the girl.

She was dragged along the road, before the driver stopped, it is alleged.

She had 24 stitches at Airedale General Hospital, and after an overnight stay she was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary for another night under observation.

The dirt bike driver, 22, was apparently riding a Sur-ron L1E electric bike.

There are two models with speeds of 30 or 47 miles per hour - both marketed as ‘nearly silent’.

Police statement

A spokesperson from West Yorkshire police said: “A 22-year-old man has been reported for offences relating to a collision in Keighley on 11 June 2021.

“Enquiries into the incident are continuing.”

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