Parents in Bahrain are being urged to think twice before purchasing electric motorcycles for their children following an accident that resulted in a schoolboy suffering a horrific facial injury.
The popular machines may be on the Christmas wish list for many expatriate youngsters but one slip or a slight lack of attention could prove calamitous.
Seven-year-old Sebastian Stöhe was riding around his compound in Barbar, wearing a helmet, when he crashed. The fall left his jawbone exposed and his face covered in blood.
Speaking to the GDN, his mother Carina, who is from the UK but has spent her entire life in Bahrain, said that she was attending to household chores when she suddenly heard him scream.
“Once I saw the condition he was in I immediately ripped off his helmet and T-shirt, and tried to stop the bleeding,” said the 41-year-old mother-of-two.
“I took him inside and called the National Ambulance Service and they were wonderfully supportive.
“They guided me every step of the way and I decided to drive him to a nearby hospital where medics managed to stabilise him. An ambulance then took us to Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).”
Ms Stöhe was full of praise for the SMC staff, saying that they took ‘really good care’ of Sebastian from the get-go, and everything, including the aftercare, has been ‘top-notch’.
“Two young guys greeted us at the emergency hall, and they were very friendly and looked after us,” she added. “They helped keep Sebastian calm. We did not have to wait long, and he was taken into general surgery, and the surgeon did an amazing job.
“Without a doubt, I was very impressed with the staff at the hospital, and they deserve every ounce of praise for how well they treated us, and how good the after treatment care has been too.
“Sebastian has a scar on his jaw and I am sure it will heal well.”
Ms Stöhe warned parents against purchasing these bikes as toys, even suggesting the authorities to look into potentially banning them.
“On reflection, I didn’t appreciate how dangerous the bike could be,” she admitted. “It had three speed settings and went fast and just touching the edges on the pavements can lead to you losing control.
“An age limit might help families think twice about purchasing them.”
Bahrain Bikers board member Abdulla Isa from Juffair, who has been driving motorbikes since 1986, agrees that the dangers of the ‘toy bikes’ should be clearly signposted.
“A normal bicycle travels at around 5km per hour, while these so-called toy bikes go up to 30!” the 50-year-old father-of-four told the GDN.
“I have refused to get one for my children, because I know kids are not focused on safety, they just want to have fun. They cannot comprehend the danger they are in.
“Also, shops that sell them, do not provide full-faced helmets. I don’t think they are even available in a child’s size.
“Children are just not mature enough to understand the dangers.”
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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