Youtuber, personal trainer, and TV presenter Emily Hartridge, 35, died on the morning of July 12.
She reportedly crashed with a truck while riding an e-scooter, and appears to be the first death involving an e-scooter in Britain, where the Department of Transport doesn’t permit to ride them on the road or pavement, reported the Daily Mail.
The crash occurred in Battersea, south of London.
Her personal Instagram account, which has about 44,000 followers, posted an announcement regarding her death:
“Hi everyone. This is a horrible thing to have to say over Instagram but we know many of you were expecting to see Emily today and this is the only way to contact you all at once,” it stated.
“Emily was involved in an accident yesterday and passed away. We all loved her to bits and she will never be forgotten. She has touched so many lives it’s hard to imagine things without her. She was a very special person.”
View this post on Instagram
Former “Big Brother” host Davina McCall commented on Instagram: “My heart goes out to Emily’s family and friends. Such a shock. Sending you love and prayers.”
Hartridge had about 340,000 subscribers on YouTube and also had a notable presence on Instagram and Twitter. Her channel offered lifestyle advice and interviewed prominent stars such as Hugh Jackman and Eddie Redmayne.
TV presenter and Youtube star Emily Hartridge dead after tragic accident aged 35 – RIP https://t.co/ybOU2La7Qd pic.twitter.com/2iAQFepAIZ
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) July 13, 2019
Gizzi Irskine said she was “finding this very very hard to compute.”
“Devastating,” she added.
TV presenter and Youtube star Emily Hartridge dead after tragic accident aged 35 – RIP https://t.co/ybOU2La7Qd pic.twitter.com/2iAQFepAIZ
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) July 13, 2019
Hartridge was also hosting a documentary about turning 30 years of age.
According to Metro, A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said regarding the accident: “We sent an advanced paramedic, two ambulance crews, an incident response officer and two medics in cars to the scene, with the first of our medics arriving in under four minutes. Sadly, despite the extensive efforts of medics, a woman died at the scene.”
We’re dealing with a serious RTC at Queenstown Circus in #Battersea. There are extensive road closures in place including Chelsea Bridge, Nine Elms Lane and Prince of Wales Drive. Please avoid the area. @BBCTravelAlert
— Wandsworth Police (@MPSWandsworth) July 12, 2019
Evening Standard reported that the Commissioner of Transport for London, Mike Brown, had called for a review on the safe usage of e-scooters only days before.
“I think inevitably that [licensing] will happen at some point… It’s inevitable they will be licensed, but we need to make sure we’ve got proper input into how that happens.” Brown told Standard.
Currently, there is a $377 (£300) penalty notice and six points punishment on the driver’s license for those using e-scooters on pavement or public roads in London.
“I was on the Millennium Bridge the other night and there was some guy on an electric scooter rocketing down the middle. I did think to myself ‘This is actually not that safe.'” Brown said to Standard. “I think we have to get some guidance between us and the Department for Transport, because it’s not just a London phenomenon, it’s all over the country.”
Toy Rider, gives 10 e-scooter safety tips, including reading the manual before purchase, getting proper safety gear, familiarizing yourself with proper scooter operation, limiting rides to only one person, and not doing stunts.
