Jane Ouartsi, a retired Marks & Spencer shop worker in her late 60s, was walking across a pedestrianised square in central London on a Friday evening in early August three years ago when she was struck by a child riding a Lime electric bike. The collision caused catastrophic injuries: a fractured collarbone, two spinal fractures, and a broken femur that required three operations to fix. She spent 36 days in hospital and 18 months learning to walk again, describing the experience as learning to walk like a baby. Her partner, Dave Mathias, has spent three years trying to persuade Lime to acknowledge the life-changing consequences, but the company has not paid compensation and has not responded to calls for action against underage riders.
Details of the Accident and Injuries
Ouartsi remembers the moment of impact vividly: "I felt my spine and body split and I thought my life was over." CCTV footage shows a young rider, possibly around 10 years old, speeding across the empty square and knocking her over. Mathias has studied the footage repeatedly as he attempted to secure acknowledgment from Lime. The injuries were so severe that medical staff at the central London hospital said they were becoming used to treating e-bike-related damage, noting it was happening more every week.
Ouartsi now relies on a walking stick and is afraid of falling. She had a single bed and a commode installed in her sitting room for a year because she could not walk upstairs. Mathias, a joiner, took extended time off work to install grab handles and help her recover. The couple, who loved travelling to Scotland, no longer envisage making the journey.
Lime's Response and Legal Challenges
Lime stated that the bike involved was stolen and ridden illegally, not rented, and that more than 99.99% of Lime trips in London last year ended without a reported incident. However, Mathias and Ouartsi have received no compensation. A message from Lime's claims system in January 2025 offered "deepest regrets" but said the firm could not identify the rider, as the vehicle was not part of an active ride. The police closed the case, and a no-win, no-fee solicitor ended representation because the rider was not identified.
At a meeting in Kensington town hall in October 2024, Mathias publicly raised the issue. Two Lime representatives offered help, but it did not materialise. A senior public affairs manager emailed: "We were really sorry to hear of your experience and we want to do everything we can to support you." Yet, no financial gesture has been made.
Broader Impact and Statistics
A private briefing for Transport for London's safety panel showed that hire bikes (Lime, Forest, Voi) accounted for 32% of cyclist vs pedestrian crashes attended by police in London in 2024, up from 3% in 2017. TfL figures also show an 8% rise in serious injuries to cyclists in 2024, but this is outweighed by a 39% increase in cycling journeys since 2010-14, suggesting serious injury per journey has reduced.
Solicitor Sam Collard, head of cycling accident claims at Osbornes law, said his firm has been receiving about 10 inquiries a month for 18 months, mostly involving Lime bikes. Claims range from cuts to serious injuries like brain injury and fractured skull, with settlements between £20,000 and £100,000. He acknowledged that it is more complicated to get insurance payouts when the rider is unknown but said Lime has "questions to answer about how a 10-year-old came to be riding their bike."
Victim's Call for Change
Ouartsi wants Lime to rethink bike weight and speed and impose stiff penalties for irresponsible cycling. She supports more bicycles and fewer cars but not at the expense of pedestrian safety. Mathias added: "People need to use them sensibly, on the road. I'd also rather they weren't electric so people could get more exercise." The couple do not want to prosecute the child but need accountability for the life-changing impact.
Another victim, Helen Goodsell, 79, was struck by an underage rider in north London in 2024. Her husband, Robert, found that Lime's insurers could not settle because the rider was underage, an exclusion under the policy. Lime later offered a modest ex-gratia payment without admission of liability. Robert suggested safety rules be stencilled on bikes, but the idea was not implemented.
A Lime spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with Jane and her family, and we are sorry for the distress this incident has caused. We take incidents like this extremely seriously." The company noted it fines riders for unauthorised parking and slows bikes in "go slow" areas like Regent's Park and Hyde Park. It also launched a redesigned, smaller rental e-bike earlier this year.
Mathias expressed frustration: "The psychological impact of what happened is far reaching. Jane and I had hopes and dreams for retirement and our future together which have been blighted."
