Manchester Mother who lost son in e-scooter accident calls for tighter laws to save lives

• Warning: This report from Mel Barham and the article below both contain distressing details and images

A mother who lost her son in an e-scooter accident has created a short film calling on the Government to introduce tighter restrictions on the vehicles.

Carly Calland lost her 14-year-old son Jacob after the e-scooter he was riding on the back of crashed into a car in Baguley in Wythensawe on 19 March 2025.

Jacob suffered a serious head injury and was quickly treated by paramedics who had arrived via air ambulance.

Neither Jacob or the driver of the scooter, who was also 14, were wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

His mother, Carly, said: "He was already in the back of the ambulance when I got there. It was breathtaking, it was a scene I’d never seen before.

"That split second has changed his life, my life, everybody’s life around me - and I just needed it for them to understand."

Jacob was taken to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where he was kept under sedation on an intensive care ward for eight days.

Throughout his treatment, Carly sent her son text messages in the hope that he could read them when he woke up and understand what had happened to him.

Three days into his treatment, on Saturday 22 March, she wrote: "Morning son... your numbers are looking good, your sodium levels are a little high so they had to give you some medicine to correct them.

"You also ain't reacting to the light in your eyes but that's okay because you are under a lot of sedation which is good for you as we need your brain to get better xxx

"But mums here right by your side I love you son xx"

Over the next few days Jacob's condition got worse and he eventually contracted sepsis and went into cardiac arrest.

After 20 minutes of resuscitation he stabilised, but the swelling to the brain continued to get worse.

In a text to Jacob, Carly said: "I had a feeling there was something wrong… You’re so poorly it’s so scary! Come on buddy mum can’t lose you! Bring those numbers down for me!!! I love you."

On Wednesday 26 March, doctors told Carly there was nothing more they could do for Jacob. He died at 5.18am on Thursday 27 March.

Describing him, Carly said: "Jacob was very funny, very quick witted… He was a cheeky chappy but a very special boy."

Since Jacob's death Carly has been campaigning for tighter restrictions around the use of e-scooters, especially for those under the age of 18.

As part of her campaign, she has set up an e-petition to make it mandatory for all e-scooter drivers to wear helmets, take out insurance, and not carry passengers.

In the UK, it is already illegal to ride e-scooters on public roads, pavements, or cycle lanes. If caught, the rider can be fined and have their scooter seized.

However since 2019, 49 people have died while riding e-scooters and Carly says tougher enforcement needs to be put in place.

She said: "Anyone can purchase one. They just say that it's got to be on private land, which come on, no one's just riding it around their back garden or riding it on a private land.

"They're going to buy them scooters to use. they don't even have to wear helmets.

"There's no repercussions to their actions in what they do, you know? The police might stop them, take it off them, but there's no repercussions to that."

Carly has taken part in a short film highlighting the dangers of e-scooters.

As well as calling on the Government to do more, Carly has also shared her story through a short film about the eight days

She said: "It is a hard watch. It’s the most painful thing I’ve ever have to do, but the impact it’s had has made it worth it."

The 18-minute film charts the events leading up to Jacob's crash all the way through to his death eight days later through CCTV, videos of the scene, and the text messages Carly sent to her son.

The film opens with Ring doorbell footage of Jacob leaving his home. Just 18 minutes later, Jacob was in an ambulance.

Carly said: "That split second has changed his life, my life, everybody’s life around me - and I just needed it for them to understand."

"The impact of the video has already stopped people getting on that scooter. If I can stop one more, and then one more, and then one more life, how powerful is that?"

The scene of the crash, a busy junction in Wythenshawe, is covered in flowers for Jacob and his family.

Carly said: "It’s very painful, knowing this is where it happened. Why did you get on that scooter? We wouldn’t be stood here Jacob if you didn’t do that, and that’s what I’m trying to tell other children.

"Jacob didn’t think he would be in this situation, and you could be putting yourself in this same situation by getting on that scooter. Just don’t."

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