A man who died in the hospital after a dockless scooter crash on the Mission Beach Boardwalk died of blunt force trauma, the Medical Examiner's Office said Thursday.
Brian Nelson Witzeman, 47 of Mesa, Arizona, was riding a Lime scooter at about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday when he lost control and crashed into a woman who was riding a scooter next to him, the San Diego Police Department said.
Both riders were ejected from their scooters and landed on the boardwalk near Santa Barbara Place, just north of Belmont Park. The crash injured the legs of both passengers.
SDPD said Witzeman also complained of pain in his chest. He was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla where he died 20 minutes after the crash.
The Medical Examiner's Office said the man's cause of death was blunt force trauma and he had no other contributing conditions.
Witzeman and the female rider were not wearing helmets, SDPD officials said Friday in a written release.
Officers advised caution to residenst and tourists when using scooters to travel around the city.
Local
Since January 1, there have been at least 15 reported serious injury collisions involving motorized scooters in the city of San Diego, police said in a written release.
A tourist from Georgia crashed into a tree downtown while riding a rideshare scooter in March, becoming the first person to die in an accident involving the dockless devices.
The city has taken steps to regulate dockless bikes and scooters in hopes that they would cut down on accidents and nuisances. The regulations include 8 mile-per-hour speed limits in high-pedestrian-traffic areas, including along the Mission Beach Boardwalk.
