LAFAYETTE PARISH — Julieanna Steed cannot remember the day her life changed forever.
“What I remember is I got home from work, I talked to a few people on my phone, but went to bed. And then I woke up in the hospital… My brain has completely shut out that day entirely,” Steed said.
Steed was riding a motorized scooter on Pinhook Road on March 4 when she was hit from behind. After she was thrown to the ground, two more vehicles struck her, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down.
Her story comes as a new study from the University of California, San Francisco shows injuries involving e-bikes and electric scooters continue to climb across the United States.
“There is a strong national trend that's leaning less towards individual vehicle ownership just because it's so expensive to buy a car and then to maintain it – insurance and gas,” said Ashley Moran, planning and policy manager for the Acadiana Planning Commission.
The study found e-bike injuries increased from 751 in 2017 to more than 23,000 in 2022. During that same period, injuries involving electric scooters rose from more than 8,500 to nearly 57,000.
Moran said Louisiana is seeing the trend play out locally as more people rely on alternative forms of transportation.
“It's been a trend in Louisiana definitely since the beginning of the year. I know since the beginning of the year, we've already had a fatality in Shreveport, in New Orleans, obviously in Lafayette,” Moran said.
Safety advocates say preventing crashes requires both motorists and riders to stay aware of one another and follow the rules of the road.
Steed hopes her experience serves as a reminder that everyone has a responsibility when traveling alongside bicycles, scooters, and other vulnerable road users.
“Everyone needs to be more cautious. When you are in an area with that situation, be mindful and be conscious about the people around you, whether you're driving in the car or you're on the scooter. At the end of the day, we are all sharing the road,” Steed said.
You can donate to her GoFundMe here.
