A 26-year-old woman is out of surgery after being hit by a truck while riding an e-scooter early this morning.
The scene of the crash between a Lime e-scooter and a truck in Dunedin. Photo: Otago Daily Times /Stephen Jaquiery
Emergency services were called to North Dunedin shortly before 2am after the Lime scooter and a truck collided on State Highway 1.
The woman, who is a foreign national, is in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital.
Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said that officers have some early indications of what caused the crash, but inquiries were continuing.
"There's a lot of footage in that area, there are speed cameras and campus cameras around.
"It's still the early stages yet but the investigation is ongoing... we're just trying to piece everything together and contact family overseas."
Police also want to hear from anyone with dashcam footage or information which could help the investigation.
The Serious Crash Unit has been at the scene investigating today.
A Lime e-scooter lies on the road beside a truck after a crash in the early hours of this morning. Photo: Otago Daily Times /Stephen Jaquiery
It is not known if the woman was wearing a helmet, however, Senior Sergeant Dinnissen said the accident was a stark reminder of the precautions road users should be taking.
"The general safety message with scooters or anything on the roads is wear a helmet.
"It's something we see all the time - people go racing past on the roads and footpaths without wearing helmets. That's on scooters, skateboards and cycles... it's very difficult to police in that heavy flow traffic but it's a common sense thing - put a lid on it."
A spokesperson for Lime refused to say why the woman was able to use the scooter at 1.45am when the general understanding is that the scooters are unable to be used overnight.
The spokesperson said the company had already contacted local authorities and was assisting in any way it could. The company's thoughts were with the rider and they wished her a quick recovery.
The Dunedin City Council refused to be interviewed about the accident, however, its chief executive Sue Bidrose released a statement saying the council had no say in the control of the e-scooters.
"This is a tragic accident and our thoughts are with the young woman, her family and the truck driver," the statement said.
"While the council has no formal role in relation to e-scooters we have been in touch with the police, the NZ Transport Agency and Lime."
The statement said the council had no plans to implement bylaws similar to those introduced for e-scooters in Auckland and Christchurch.