Jane Ouartsi was walking across a pedestrianised square in central London on a Friday evening in August 2021 when she was struck by a child riding a Lime electric bike. The collision left her with a fractured collarbone, two spinal fractures, and a broken femur that required three operations. She spent 36 days in hospital and 18 months learning to walk again.
Ouartsi, in her late 60s, said: “I felt my spine and body split and I thought my life was over.” She and her partner, Dave Mathias, have spent three years trying to persuade Lime to acknowledge the incident and pay compensation, but the company says it cannot identify the rider because the bike was stolen and used illegally.
Severe injuries and long recovery
After discharge, Ouartsi could not walk upstairs for a year and had a bed and commode installed in her sitting room. Mathias, a joiner, took extended leave to install grab handles and help her recover. She still uses a walking stick and fears falling. “I’m made up of nuts and bolts and screws. I had to learn to walk again like a baby,” she said.
X-rays show titanium inserted into her leg buckled and failed, requiring replacement. Medical staff at the hospital said they were increasingly treating e-bike injuries. “They said it was happening more every week, that it was a drain on their time,” Ouartsi noted.
Lack of accountability
Mathias tried to photograph the child rider after the crash but was prevented by a woman believed to be the mother. The pair disappeared before police could take their names. Without an identified rider, the police closed the case, and solicitors declined a no-win, no-fee claim.
In October 2024, Mathias raised the issue at a Kensington town hall meeting with Lime representatives. A senior public affairs manager emailed: “We were really sorry to hear of your experience and we want to do everything we can to support you.” However, no help materialised. A January 2025 message from Lime’s claims system offered “deepest regrets” but stated the firm could not find rental records or rider identity.
Lime later indicated a financial gesture without admitting liability, but the offer was not fulfilled.
Broader concerns about e-bike safety
Robert Goodsell reported a similar case: his wife Helen, 79, was struck by an underage Lime rider in north London in 2024. Her injuries were minor, but Lime’s insurers refused to pay because the rider was underage, an exclusion in the policy. Lime later made a modest ex-gratia payment.
Goodsell suggested safety rules be stencilled on bikes and numbers displayed for reporting bad behaviour. “Why do they refuse to put basic safe riding guidance visibly on their bikes?” he asked.
Sam Collard, head of cycling accident claims at Osbornes Law, said his firm receives about 10 inquiries monthly, mostly involving Lime bikes. Claims range from cuts to brain injuries and fractured skulls, with settlements between £20,000 and £100,000. He noted that unidentified riders complicate insurance payouts but said Lime must answer how a 10-year-old could ride their bike.
Statistics and Lime’s response
A Transport for London safety panel briefing showed hire bikes accounted for 32% of cyclist-pedestrian crashes attended by police in 2024, up from 3% in 2017. Serious cycling injuries rose 8% in 2024, but cycling journeys increased 39% since 2010-14, reducing the injury rate per journey.
A Lime spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Jane and her family… This situation has been carefully reviewed and handled in line with our policies.” The company stated the bike was stolen and ridden illegally, and that 99.99% of Lime trips last year ended without reported incidents. Lime has launched redesigned, smaller e-bikes and fines riders for unauthorised parking (£2-£20), with bans for repeat offenders. It also slows bikes in “go slow” zones like Regent’s Park.
Mathias remains frustrated: “Jane and I had hopes and dreams for retirement which have been blighted.”
