The Brief
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Janet Stotko was on a sidewalk when a teenager on an e-bike crashed into her last August.
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The crash left her seriously injured, with a blown ear drum, broken bones, severed nerves and a brain bleed.
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She said she will never be able to smell or taste again because of the brain damage she suffered in the accident.
HASTINGS, Minn. (FOX 9) – A Hastings woman who nearly died after a teenager on an e-bike crashed into her on a sidewalk last summer wants to warn others about their dangers.
E-bike crash nearly killed Hastings woman
What happened
Stotko went for an evening walk on West 15th Street on Aug. 12, 2024, when a 14-year-old boy on an e-bike hit her from behind at 25 miles an hour.
The impact tossed her into the air and left her unconscious and lying in a pool of her own blood. She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery.
She suffered a blown ear drum, broken bones in her face and elsewhere on her skull, severed nerves and a brain bleed. She spent several days on a ventilator because she was not able to breathe on her own. Although she pulled through, she will never fully recover. She still suffers from ringing in one of her ears and lost the ability to smell or taste.
What they’re saying
“I don’t have any memory of the accident itself,” she said. “When people see me around, they think I’ve recovered, and I haven’t, and I never will.”
“We heard this big bang….” recalled Good Samaritan Travis Rolfe. “He came up from behind her and hit her so hard that she flew up in the air and turned around.”
Stotko said she still has not heard from the teenager who hit her or his family. She said he received a citation but no other consequences for the accident that left her with life-altering injuries, which is why she said the state needs stricter laws on e-bikes.
The accident cost her about $20,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses and the attorney she hired told her she had virtually no recourse.
Police have warned about e-bike dangers
The backstory
South Lake Minnetonka police have repeatedly warned about the dangers of e-bikes, pointing out that many riders – often teenagers – routinely break traffic laws and create dangerous situations for themselves and drivers. In the city of Excelsior, public officials installed a large digital sign to remind everyone about e-bike regulations.
Minnesota Law
Under state law, riders must be at least 15 to use an e-bike, and anyone under 16 needs either a driver’s license or a safety certificate to operate one.
Some types of e-bikes, such as off-highway motorcycles, are not allowed on public roads.
Other regulations vary from city to city.
