After an Orem Teen's Serious E-Bike Crash, What Utah's Youth E-Bike Rules Say

A 14-year-old Orem boy is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit at Primary Children's Hospital more than three weeks after a van hit him while he was riding an e-bike, KUTV reported Thursday. His mother told the station the family's lives have been turned "upside down." The story landed the same week the station cited state numbers showing e-bike and e-scooter crashes involving young children climbing fast. This article walks through what is known about the crash, what the state's numbers say, and what Utah's e-bike rules require of riders and parents.

What is known about the crash

According to KUTV, the boy had just come home from a doctor's appointment when he asked to ride to a nearby park in Orem. Police came to the family's door minutes later, his mother said. A neighbor's doorbell camera recorded the crash. He was first taken to a nearby hospital and then moved to Primary Children's Hospital because of the severity of his injuries.

KUTV reported that the boy's right lung was severely injured and that doctors may have to remove part of it if it does not heal. After more than a week on a heart-lung support machine known as ECMO, he developed pneumonia and a blood clot near the machine's connection site, and he is back on a ventilator and heavily sedated. The family is accepting donations through a GoFundMe campaign, the station reported.

We are not naming the boy in this article. The family has spoken publicly, and KUTV's report includes his name, but the rules and the numbers below matter whether or not any single name appears here. This article does not say who was at fault, and neither did the KUTV report. The cause of the crash and any decision about charges are matters for the police agency handling it, and nothing we found says that review is finished.

His mother had a simple message for other parents, KUTV reported: "Tell your kids, be careful."

What the state numbers show

KUTV cited state data counting 72 crashes involving e-bikes and e-scooters in Utah in 2026, six of them fatal. It also reported that serious-injury crashes involving children 12 and younger have risen by more than 250% compared with last year.

Those are percentage changes from a small starting number, so read them carefully. A jump of that size can come from a few additional crashes. It still points the same direction as other local figures. In May, the Daily Herald reported that the Utah Department of Public Safety counted a 66.7% increase in e-bike injuries among children and teens treated at Intermountain Health emergency rooms in 2025, with 536 e-bike and e-scooter injuries treated. Only about 40% of those patients were wearing helmets, according to DPS.

We could not find a public state table that breaks 2026 crashes down by age, county or class of device, so we cannot say how many of the 72 happened in Utah County. The Utah Highway Safety Office is the place to ask.

What Utah's e-bike law says

The state's rules were rewritten this year. HB 381 took effect May 6, 2026. Here is what the Utah Highway Safety Office's e-bike page lists.

The three classes

• Class 1: pedal-assist only, with motor help stopping at 20 mph.
• Class 2: throttle-assisted, so the motor can move the bike without pedaling, up to 20 mph.
• Class 3: pedal-assist only, up to 28 mph.

To be legally an e-bike, a device needs working pedals, a motor of 750 watts or less, and a fit in one of those classes. A machine that goes over 20 mph on motor power alone, or has more than 750 watts, is an e-motorcycle under the law. The Highway Safety Office says e-motorcycles need a driver license and a motorcycle endorsement, cannot be ridden on sidewalks and are not allowed for riders under 16 on public roads.

Age rules

• Under 8: cannot operate a motorized e-mobility device on a public road.
• Ages 8 to 14: must be accompanied by an adult, or, starting in May 2027, hold the state's safety certificate.
• Under 16: may not ride a Class 3 e-bike.
• 16 and older: may ride any class on a road without a certificate or supervision.

The state page is not consistent about the upper end of the supervised age range, giving 14 in some places and 15 in others, and the Daily Herald described the certificate for ages 8 to 15. If your child is 14 or 15, check the Highway Safety Office page for the current wording before you rely on either number. The official safety course is expected to be ready in spring 2027, and the office says only the Department of Public Safety course earns the certificate.

Helmets

Riders under 21 must wear a helmet when riding an e-bike or e-scooter on a public road. The office lists a standard bicycle helmet (CPSC) for e-bikes and e-scooters and a DOT-approved motorcycle-style helmet for e-motorcycles and other high-powered devices. The requirement is for roads, not for paths. The state page does not list a fine amount. For the exact penalty, check the statute at le.utah.gov.

Modifications and alcohol

It is illegal to alter a device from the manufacturer's design to raise its speed or power, including bypassing a speed governor. The page also prohibits operating a motor-assisted device while drinking or with an open container, and carrying more passengers than the device was built for.

Enforcement

Officers can seize a device for a time if a minor is breaking the safety laws, and it is released only to a parent or guardian, the office says. In May, Provo Police Sgt. Steven Brough, who oversees the department's traffic team, told the Daily Herald that officers would not be pulling kids over or ticketing them for not wearing helmets at the start and that the early focus is education. "This is going to take a lot of education," he said. He also said e-motorcycles had been the biggest problem, and that the new law removes confusing language about the difference.

What this means for Utah Valley parents

Nothing in the KUTV report says the boy broke a rule, and this article draws no conclusion about his crash. The practical points apply to every household with a young rider.

Know which class you bought. Angela Wright, who owns Bingham Cyclery, told KUTV that many parents do not realize "these bikes are a vehicle." She said her staff regularly explains the classes to families, especially around holiday shopping. A Class 3 bike is off limits to a rider under 16 no matter how mature the rider is, and a throttle machine that runs over 20 mph without pedaling is not legally an e-bike.

Check the helmet, then check it again. The law covers anyone under 21 on a road. DPS's figure that only about 40% of injured young riders wore helmets is the clearest argument for the habit.

Treat roads and trails differently. E-bikes may use state and local non-motorized trails unless a city restricts them, according to the Highway Safety Office, and they are not allowed on federal trails such as those managed by the U.S. Forest Service. On sidewalks, riders must yield to pedestrians and walk the bike on busy stretches. See our guide to e-bikes in Utah Valley and the bike commuting guide for where riders go locally.

Talk to the police before the purchase. Unified Police Sgt. Aymee Race told KUTV that parents with questions about a planned bike can call their local police department, where officers can explain the safety concerns and share examples of injuries they have seen.

Watch for modifications. Speed governors and power limits are part of what makes a bike legal. A bike a friend has unlocked is no longer the bike on the label.

Drivers have a part too

The crash KUTV described involved a van, and the state's rules for riders do not change a driver's duty to watch for bikes and slow down near parks and neighborhoods. E-bikes move faster than most drivers expect, and a child on one can be harder to read than an adult on a road bike. The Highway Safety Office page is also the place to read the rules for how e-bikes follow bicycle traffic laws: riding with traffic and obeying signals.

How to help the family

KUTV reported that the family is accepting donations through a GoFundMe campaign. We have not verified that page, so confirm it is the one linked from KUTV's article before giving.

Sources and what we could not confirm

This article relies on KUTV's Nov. 5 report, the Utah Highway Safety Office's e-bike page and the Daily Herald's May 8 reporting on the new law. We did not independently confirm the boy's medical condition, the police report or the cause of the crash. The status of the case could change; we will update this page if police release findings.

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