Schoolboy, 12, dies after being hit by bus while riding electric scooter in Birmingham

A 12-year-old boy has died after the electric scooter he is said to have been riding collided with a bus during the morning rush hour.

The youngster was fatally injured in the crash in Belchers Lane, Birmingham, just before 8am on Tuesday.

He was reportedly on his way to school when the tragedy happened.

Two ambulances and paramedic officers rushed to the scene but despite their best efforts, the youngster could not be saved and he was confirmed dead at the scene.

His family have been informed.

A West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said: “He (the rider) had sustained life-threatening injuries and was in a critical condition.

“Unfortunately, it became clear that nothing could be done to save him and he was confirmed deceased at the scene.”

Nobody from the bus was hurt in the incident.

Accident investigators are now working to piece together the circumstances, and the road has remained closed while investigations continue.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “This is an awful tragedy for the young boy’s family and friends, and our thoughts are with them at this time.

“We’ve spoken to a number of witnesses, but still want to hear from any of the passengers on the bus who we’ve not yet spoken to, or from people who may have captured what happened on dashcam.

“If people do have footage, we’d ask them not to share it on social media but to send it to us so that we can help establish exactly what happened.”

It is the latest fatal incident in the region involving an e-scooter, following the death of 20-year-old rider Shakur Pinnock, in Wolverhampton, in 2021, while in June, last year, 41-year-old Paul Mulqueen, from Coventry, died after a crash involving his private e-scooter.

It is not yet known if the e-scooter involved in the Bordesley Green crash was privately owned or a rented device, with the police saying that information would form part of the investigation – which was still at an early stage.

The law states e-scooters can only be used on public roads if rented as part of a government-backed trial, while the privately-owned types can only be used on private land.

Nationally, there has been an increasing trend of crashes and fatalities involving the devices.

The Department for Transport’s latest published figures showed 12 people died in collisions involving e-scooters – 11 of whom were e-scooter riders – in the year to June 2022.

That compares to four people killed in the previous year, ending June 2021.

In London, Government figures show more than 500 people were injured in collisions involving e-scooters during 2021.

The Metropolitan Police recorded 510 incidents involving e-scooters during 2021, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of all e-scooter related casualties in England, Scotland and Wales.

In 2020, 250 injuries involving e-scooters were recorded in London, while just eight were recorded in 2018.

Only last week, the West Midlands’ assistant police and crime commissioner Tom McNeil repeated a call for tighter health and safety rules around the use of the devices.

The Government has previously pledged to bring in such legislation.