Jesse Hayes spent three months on life support after he was struck by a car while riding an e-bike. The 20-year-old California resident still walks with a knee brace and struggles to play guitar.
At Orange County's Sept. 13 e-bike buyback event at Angel Stadium, Hayes was the first of hundreds to turn in an electric vehicle, hoping his experience would serve as a warning to other young riders, according to The Orange County Register.
Here's what to know
People attending the Orange County District Attorney's Office buyback could surrender e-bikes, e-motorcycles, e-scooters, and pocket bikes in exchange for up to $1,000 in gift cards from Target, Walmart, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
A total of $110,000 in gift cards was available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the first 75 participants also got Angels tickets.
Families arrived early, with some lining up at dawn, and many of the vehicles turned in were Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes, which have a motor-assisted top speed of 20 miles per hour and qualified for about $300 to $400 in gift cards.
California Highway Patrol data obtained by the OC Register shows reported e-bike crashes statewide jumped from 48 in 2020 to 1,366 in 2025. In Orange County, the number increased from 34 crashes to 347 over the same period, including three fatalities.
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While e-bikes offer many benefits when used safely, such as helping riders go up hills and replacing a car for many commutes, critics say their top speeds are too high or that they are too dangerous for urban areas. In other words, they aren't all just the same as riding a bicycle with a little help to require less intensive pedaling, and that's especially risky for younger riders.
Laura Goodman, a pediatric surgeon and trauma medical director at Rady Children's Hospital of Orange County, said the problem has become impossible to ignore.
"It's a big crisis in our county," she told the Register.
More background
Hayes said he wants other teens to understand that e-bike crashes can carry long-lasting consequences, especially when speed, traffic, or inexperience are involved.
One of the other young riders at the event, 11-year-old Jesse Guerrero, said he was going 40 miles per hour on a local street when he crashed a modified e-bike and suffered torn kneecaps and fingertips cut so badly they needed a dozen stitches.
"I couldn't use that hand," he recalled.
By 2025, Goodman said, e-bikes had become the leading cause of trauma activations at her hospital, a category used when injuries are serious enough to require a larger emergency team.
She said the injuries seen most often include trauma to the head, neck, and face, along with bone fractures.
According to the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System, children ages 11 to 14 account for nearly two-thirds of e-motorcycle crashes even though they are legally barred from riding those vehicles.
What's being done?
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has paired the buyback with a broader enforcement push aimed at reckless riding and illegal youth use, according to the Register.
Spitzer said the danger goes far beyond scraped knees or damaged bikes.
"These vehicles are not child's play, and the consequences are incredibly dangerous and increasingly deadly," he said in a press release.
His office has filed child-endangerment charges against four parents in 2026, including one case tied to a fatal crash involving an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran.
"I want people to know these crashes happen a lot more than most people think, and how horrible they are," Hayes said.
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