LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — At least 700 people have been treated at two of the largest hospital systems in Southern Nevada this year for e-bike and e-scooter injuries — and one family is sharing a story they hope no one else ever has to live through.
Fifteen-year-old Christopher Rowley still cannot remember the night a mini bike crash nearly took his life.
"When I woke up, I didn't remember anything from that night until a couple days ago and I looked at my phone and I was screenshotting messages of me and my friend talking, and I was taking pictures of the bike, but after that I don't remember nothing," Christopher said.
His family says the crash happened in early June near their neighborhood. For weeks, his stepfather Jimmie and sister Doleena did not know if he would survive.
"He woke up August 3rd, they woke him up. Yes, since June 3rd to August 3rd, he was in a coma," Jimmie said.
Christopher spent more than two months inside UMC's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. His lungs failed. His kidneys shut down. Dr. Errin Mitchell, part of the team caring for Christopher at UMC, says his body was relying on nearly every form of life support possible.
"He was on basically as much life support as you could be on, with the ECMO machine," Mitchell said. "That was essentially it takes the blood out of his body, puts oxygen in it, and then puts it back into his body because his lungs did not work."
Mitchell says the hospital continues seeing devastating injuries tied to e-bikes and mini bikes across Southern Nevada, especially involving young riders.
The mini bike Christopher was riding is capable of reaching dangerous speeds. When asked how fast it could go, Christopher said the answer was alarming.
"If I were to get an engine to build it, I could get it up to high 90s, low 100s," Christopher said.
While Christopher survived the crash, his family says many others have not. His sister Doleena says the danger is easy to underestimate until it becomes personal.
"You don't think it's going to happen to you until it does," Doleena said.
Now, after 77 days in the hospital, Christopher wants other teens to learn from what happened to him.
"You know, if you're riding at night, lights, always have a helmet. And if you can, body armor," Christopher said.
His family says one decision made the difference between life and death — wearing a helmet.
"Wear a helmet and make sure that you tell your loved ones that you love them because tomorrow is not promised," Doleena said.
"That's it. $75 on Amazon saved his life," Doleena said.
To support Christopher and his family during their recovery, visit their GoFundMe page.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
