Storm Lake police warn families after child scooter crash

A child was hit on East 10th Street near the high school ball fields after riding past a stop sign, and Storm Lake police say the minor crash should be a warning before a worse one happens.

The collision happened around 4:50 p.m. Friday, May 16, 2026, near Oneida, just north of the ball fields. Officers said the child failed to stop at the sign and rode into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The injuries were minor and non-life-threatening, but Police Chief Chris Cole used the crash to press a message he says families need to hear now, not after a more serious injury.

Cole said officers have seen a noticeable jump in children riding scooters and e-bikes around town, often riding double, ignoring stop signs and not fully understanding traffic laws. In a city where kids move between neighborhoods, parks and school-area streets, that mix can turn a low-speed mistake into a real injury. The Storm Lake Police Department, which provides 24-hour service with 20 sworn officers, has been confronting the kind of rider behavior that often comes with warmer weather and more traffic around recreation areas.

Storm Lake does not have its own scooter or e-bike ordinance, so riders fall under Iowa bicycle laws and general traffic control rules. The Iowa Department of Transportation says bicyclists must obey all traffic signs and signals, use caution at intersections and limit passengers to those a bicycle is designed and equipped to carry, except for a child securely attached in a seat or trailer. The agency also says riders should always wear helmets, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in a crash.

Iowa law treats electric scooters as devices weighing less than 100 pounds with handlebars and an electric motor capable of no more than 20 miles per hour on a paved level surface. Under that law, they may be operated on highways with speed limits of 35 mph or less, bikeways and sidewalks in accordance with the statute, and riders have the same rights and duties as bicyclists on highways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says bicyclists are most likely to be injured in a crash with a vehicle, a reminder that what looks like a small mistake at a stop sign can quickly become a serious public-safety problem.