Veteran Broadcaster Margaret Throsby Injured in E-Bike Crash, Family Calls for Tougher Regulations

Margaret Throsby, a veteran broadcaster, has been hospitalized with a hip fracture and head injuries after being struck by an e-bike ridden by two teenage boys on a shared pathway in the Illawarra, south of Sydney.

The 84-year-old, who spent 55 years as a renowned presenter, remains in hospital where she is recovering after surgery. Her daughter, Holly Throsby, a musician and author, described the incident as a "really sickening scene".

Injuries and Incident Details

"It was one of those massive fat bikes that kind of looked like a motorcycle, so it's very heavy and then you've got two boys on it," Holly Throsby said.

"It was a really high impact, so she's broken her hip and thumb and she had some really big haematomas on her head."

The incident happened on a shared path last Friday. The teenage riders apologized and waited with Ms. Throsby for emergency services to arrive.

Calls for Better Regulation

Holly Throsby has called for better regulation of e-bikes, saying it seemed "civically irresponsible" to allow unlicensed children to ride such heavy, fast bikes.

"These fat tyred e-bikes closely resemble motorbikes, and yet it's become completely normalised for them to be ridden by teenagers, often two on one bike … on the same paths as walkers, and often without helmets," she said.

"It feels inevitable that more injuries or even fatalities will occur if there isn't some change to legislation and enforcement of existing legislation."

Recent Operations and Safety Concerns

The day after Ms. Throsby was injured, NSW Police ran an operation in the region, interacting with 37 e-bike riders under new inspection laws. A spokesperson said they issued several fines and cautions, including 15 youth warnings.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said any serious injury on shared paths was concerning, and that e-bikes must be legal types, and riders must use them safely and follow the road rules.

Figures from the Sydney Children's Hospital Network show the number of children coming to hospital with e-bike injuries has risen by a third in the past year to 94.

Proposed Solutions

E-bike Safety Australia's Ben Horwood said the incident highlighted a need for better education.

"Young riders, particularly those without a driver's license, need to have mandatory education and also have accountability [by] having an ID tag on the back of a bike," he said.

Mr. Horwood's company runs e-bike safety courses in 12 NSW high schools, and has called on the NSW government to mandate and fund the program in all high schools.

"A e-bike is a high-powered vehicle for a 12-year-old," he said.

"They haven't been taught how to ride it in 90 per cent of the cases and they have no understanding of road rules."

Ms. Throsby said her mother was "in OK spirits" but it would take a long time to recover from the incident.