Helmet credited with saving teen after electric scooter crash

A teenage boy who suffered serious head injuries in an electric scooter crash in Patreksfjörður has been transferred by helicopter for treatment, mbl.is reported. He sustained two skull fractures and two brain haemorrhages in the accident on Saturday.

Alexander spent his first 24 hours in intensive care and is now being treated at Barnaspítali Hringsins, a children’s hospital, where he will remain for some time. Rehabilitation will follow.

His stepmother, Petrína Sigrún Helgadóttir, said the family was extremely grateful that he was alive. She thanked emergency responders in the area for their swift actions and for immediately deciding to send Alexander south for further examination.

“He is feeling better, but a long recovery lies ahead,” Petrína told mbl.is.

Alexander was staying with Petrína and his father in Patreksfjörður when the accident occurred. His mother and stepfather have been with him, while his father and Petrína are taking over in the coming days. His four parents are sharing shifts at his bedside.

“This will be a long and difficult task, but our Alexander is alive, and we are eternally grateful for that,” Petrína wrote on Facebook.

She said the helmet Alexander was wearing when the crash happened had saved his life. The family could not bear to think about what might have happened without it.

“We simply want to emphasise to everyone how much a HELMET matters,” she wrote.

Petrína said the account was intended as a warning, adding that the outcome could have been much worse if Alexander had not been wearing a helmet.

She said she worried about children she saw riding scooters or electric scooters without helmets, sometimes two or three on the same vehicle. In her Facebook post, she urged people not to look away but to speak to the children’s parents or notify the police.

Petrína also said Alexander had asked her to bake his favourite cake. She made a French chocolate cake, which his father is taking south to him.