DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A 5-year-old beachgoer is recovering after deputies say he was hit by an e-bike in a hit-and-run on Daytona Beach, over the weekend, and now investigators are asking for the public’s help finding the riders.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, two teenagers were riding an e-bike southbound near Sun Splash Park on Saturday afternoon when they struck the child and left the scene.
Deputies say the boy had been walking toward the ocean with a bucket when he was hit.
Emergency calls reveal the child was at the beach with a family friend. When his mother learned what happened, she called 911 while rushing to her son.
“She just called me and told me my son got run over by a bike on the beach and kept going. She doesn’t know what to do,” the mother told dispatchers.
When deputies arrived, they found lifeguards caring for the injured child.
“You could see a tire mark all down the side of his calf. He ran over it and they left the scene,” a lifeguard said.
Deputies said the boy suffered minor injuries and is expected to recover.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said e-bikes on the beach are becoming a growing concern.
“This could have been a lot worse. We do have video of the person on the e-bike and we’re hopeful that when we put the info out there we’ll be able to make an arrest on this case,” Chitwood said.
The boy’s mother shared a statement with News 6, saying in part:
“E-bikes have become a popular choice in our community over the years but they are still deadly, especially for kids. Beaches aren’t streets — it’s time safety came first.”
Currently, e-bikes are allowed on the beach and are not required to stay in the designated traffic lanes used by vehicles. Sheriff Chitwood said that may need to change.
“Maybe the county will be able to pass some kind of ordinance that forces these e-bikes at least into the traffic lanes for us so they’re a lot easier to control than allowing them to zip all over the beach like now,” Chitwood said.
For now, deputies are focused on identifying the two teenagers who they say hit the child and rode away.
[VIDEO BELOW: Trooper Steve explains e-bike rules in Fla.]
Witnesses described two teenagers — a male and a female — on the e-bike, according to deputies, who said the teens stopped and apologized before leaving the scene.
Deputies released a photo of the e-bike that can be seen below:
Anyone with information about the teens is asked to contact Deputy Bissonnette at JBissonnette@volusiasheriff.gov or call 386-239-6414.