The lawsuit states that Molly and an 11-year-old friend boarded a RadRunner e-bike that belonged to the friend’s 13-year-old sister. Stansapiro Since her daughter’s death has shared her stories and photos on social media, she has not disclosed the details of the accident. Giro’s parent company Vista Outdoor declined to comment.Įven as Ms. The Stanspir family lawsuit also names Giro Sport Design, the maker of the helmet worn by Molly. Charles DiMaggio, professor of surgery at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. “E-bikes are clearly associated with more serious injury,” said study author Dr.
A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Injury Prevention in 2020 found that e-bike riders were more likely to be hospitalized after accidents than those using manual bikes. Now based in Seattle, the company has raised more than $300 million in a funding round from investors including Fidelity Management & Research.Īccording to the National Bicycle Dealers Association, an industry trade group, e-bike sales in the US have grown rapidly in recent years to an estimated 804,000 in 2021, up from 152,000 in 2016. Red Power Bikes was founded by Mike Radenbaugh in 2007 when he was a high school student in Humboldt County, Calif. The company’s e-bikes can go up to 20 mph without pedaling. It also includes pictures of children as passengers on bikes. On page 49 of the 57-page owner’s manual for the model, a warning says that “The RedRunner is designed for use by persons 18 years of age and older.” On their website, Red Power Bikes describes some of their bikes as suitable for riders who are 4 feet 10 inches or more. Molly was a passenger on a RadRunner bike made by Red Power when she had an accident. When Molly died on February 15, her death triggered a wave of online discussion about nearly a year of mourning and bereavement in the COVID-19 pandemic, which by then has killed more than 475,000 people in the US Was. Ms Steinspir’s tweets were shared hundreds of thousands of times, and an online community formed around the hashtag #TeamMolly.
Pray all for my daughter Molly.”įor the next 16 days, Steinspir continued to post on Twitter, as Molly, who had a traumatic brain injury, remained in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. later that day, in a twitter post Sent from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, his mother asked for support: “Please. The accident happened on January 31, 2021, when Molly was riding with a friend in Los Angeles.