Overview
- The crash, which happened Wednesday around 1 p.m. near Walkup Road and Dvorak Road outside Prairie Ridge High School, left a juvenile e-bike rider severely injured and prompted an active investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit.
- Responders requested a life flight because of the rider’s injuries but transported the juvenile by ambulance after officials determined the aircraft’s arrival time would be too long.
- Officials and reporters say this collision follows a string of recent teen deaths and serious collisions involving e-scooters and e-bikes in Chicago and nearby suburbs earlier this year.
- Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has launched the 'Ride Safe, Ride Smart, Ride Ready' campaign and state rules taking effect Jan. 1, 2027 will bar riders under 15 from e-bikes, require driver’s licenses, titles, registration and insurance for devices that can exceed 28 mph, and ban high-speed e-bikes from sidewalks, bike paths and bike lanes.
- Retailers, safety advocates and officials are calling for clearer parental guidance, helmet requirements, speed controls, distracted-driving enforcement and safer street design to reduce risks to young micromobility riders.