Auckland e-scooter death: Witness describes bid to save life after crash

Jeyananthan Muthukumaru, inset, was one of the first people on the scene after a man came off an electric scooter on Ian McKinnon Drive in central Auckland on Monday night. The man died at the scene. Photos / Hayden Woodward, Supplied

An Uber driver has described the desperate attempts of passing motorists to save the life of a young man fatally injured when he came off an electric scooter in central Auckland on Monday night.

Jeyananthan Muthukumaru was driving a customer from Mt Eden into the city when the pair came across the crash scene on Ian McKinnon Drive in Eden Terrace just after 11.15pm. Police are yet to name the victim.

He could see some vehicles slowing but not stopping after the crash, but driving on wasn’t an option, Muthukumaru said.

“I’m a church leader at Elim, and I can’t just ignore it. I’m trying to do my best.”

Stopping his car and putting the hazard lights on, the married dad-of-two turned to his passenger.

“I said, ‘I’m sorry, but we’ve got to go and help them’.”

He could see a man on the ground, initially thinking his injuries were minor, Muthukumaru said.

“But we went to the guy and he was bleeding from the ear. His blood was on my hands.”

The man, aged between about 25 and 30, was unconscious and lying on his back - helmet still on his head - as Muthukumaru called 111.

Another motorist then arrived, speaking to the 111 operator before the man’s helmet and backpack were removed and CPR begun, the 46-year-old said.

“This Kiwi guy came to help … he started giving CPR. Police, ambulance and everybody arrived, but unfortunately they said he had passed away.”

Emergency responders at the scene where a man died after coming off his e-scooter on Ian McKinnon Drive in Eden Terrace, central Auckland, on Monday. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Muthukumaru, who lives in Otara but is originally from Sri Lanka, also works as an orderly co-ordinator in the emergency department at Middlemore Hospital, so is familiar with sudden death.

But every loss was a tragedy.

“I was so hurt and sad we couldn’t save his life.”

He and his passenger remained at the scene until about 1am, before Muthukumaru completed the fare.

“My customer, he’s from Nepal. He was also so upset.”

Jeyananthan Muthukumaru was among those first on the scene after an e-scooter rider suffered fatal injuries after coming his machine on Ian McKinnon Drive in central Auckland on Monday.

Muthukumaru didn’t see the e-scooter crash, so he didn’t know what had gone wrong. A Herald photographer at the scene of Monday night’s crash said the e-scooter appeared to be privately owned.

But as an Uber driver Muthukumaru had witnessed multiple instances of “really dangerous” riding on e-scooters, and had no plans to take his first ride on the popular transport option first introduced into New Zealand by US transport company Lime in 2018.

“No way.”

Toben "Toby" John Hunt, 23, died when he fell off a Lime e-scooter in Auckland in 2019.

Monday’s death is the third since the use of hire and private e-scooters became widespread in New Zealand.

Toben “Toby” Hunt died aged 23 in 2019 after falling off a Lime e-scooter in downtown Auckland.

And in August last year well-known New Zealand Athletics official and judge Kathryn Fraser was killed while riding an e-scooter in Christchurch.

The 57-year-old died after being struck by a van in the suburb of Linwood, police said.

Flowers at the intersection of Linwood Avenue and Avonside Drive in central Christchurch in tribute to Kathryn Fraser (inset), killed in a collision between her e-scooter and a van in August last year. Photo / Claire Sherwood

E-scooters are exempt from being classed as motor vehicles and are allowed to travel on roads, cycleways and footpaths.

Crashes are most likely to hurt the scooter’s rider rather than pedestrians.

The number of serious crashes has also been overstated thanks to an ACC blunder.

The organisation admitted last year it’d overstated e-scooter claims by $5 million, as it had included all motorised scooters - including mopeds and mobility scooters - in the stats.

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.