Injury Patterns Associated with Personal Mobility Devices

Background: Personal mobility devices (PMDs) have become ubiquitous “last-mile” transport solutions in large metropolitan areas, and PMD-related trauma has rapidly entered the routine workload of emergency trauma services over the past few years. Between 2020 and 2024 the Russian e-scooter fleet expanded more than ten-fold, the number of users fourteen-fold, and the number of rides twenty-six-fold. This growth has been accompanied by a sharp rise in injuries: during the first nine months of 2024, 3 897 road-traffic incidents involving PMDs were recorded, resulting in 4 052 casualties and 44 deaths—an increase of 837 %, 825 %, and 340 %, respectively, compared with 2021. Nevertheless, systematic data on injury typology and risk factors remain limited: official police reports capture only collisions with motor vehicles or events causing severe bodily harm, whereas single-vehicle falls are documented solely in medical records. Aims: To characterise PMD-related injuries and analyse the medical and social aspects of this problem in order to develop comprehensive injury-prevention measures. Materials and methods: A retrospective review of 170 medical records of patients admitted between May 2021 and May 2025 was performed. Results: PMD-related admissions peaked in the autumn–spring period. Most patients were men (n = 121; 71.1 %) aged 25–44 years (n = 117; 68.8 %). According to the Injury Severity Score, the majority of injuries were minor (median 4 [IQR 4–9]). In total, 262 traumatic lesions were identified in 170 patients. Upper-extremity injuries predominated (n = 108; 41.2 %), followed by lower-extremity injuries (n = 88; 33.6 %), chest trauma (n = 12; 4.6 %), and soft-tissue wounds/contusions (n = 54; 20.6 %). Multiple extremity injuries were diagnosed in 40 patients (23.5 %). Combined craniocerebral and craniofacial trauma was observed in 127 patients (74.6 %). Surgical management of fractures was required in 162 cases (93.8 %). Expert review indicated that even apparently minor injuries necessitated a multidisciplinary approach because the concurrence of fractures and traumatic brain injury increased the risk of complications.