Source : Perth Now news
A vibrant 23-year-old woman is fighting to rebuild her life after being hit by an e-bike left her with severe dental injuries and no clear path to cover the cost of her treatment.
Holly Maw was leaving the Harbord Hotel in Sydney on the evening of December 19 last year when she was struck down by an e-bike.
The rider, a 12-year-old boy, was doubling a friend at the time.
Ms Maw has no memory of the impact, but the collision shattered her front teeth and caused significant trauma to her mouth and jaw.
Ms Maw told A Current Affair she did not remember anything from the collision, but found herself lying bloodied on the road.
“I was crossing at the island bit and they just came around the corner, just too fast, and hit me,” she said.
“I didn’t even think something like that had even happened until I was in hospital … I realised teeth were missing and my mouth was … kind of messed up.”
Ms Maw’s mother rushed her to a dentist, but the injuries were so severe that even basic eating and drinking became a struggle.
“I can’t use my front teeth at all. I have to cut everything up really small and put it in the back, which is a process,” she said.
A temporary fix has been completed, but permanent reconstruction is still months away, with an estimated cost of $38,000.
Police have ruled the collision an accident, and with no clear insurance framework for high-powered e-bikes, Ms Haw has been left responsible for her medical bills.
E-bikes and electric scooters have hit the headlines for high-speed rides, dangerous meet-ups, and a rising number of serious accidents.
Tragically, Hudson Gagg, a 17-year-old boy, was killed last year while riding on the back of an overpowered e-bike.
Hudson’s dad, Jason, described the moment his son’s life was taken.
“The bike was equipped for two people and unfortunately the rider hasn’t been able to stop and they’ve gone straight out in front of a vehicle … unfortunately Hudson’s life was taken,” Mr Gagg told A Current Affair.
In October last year, eight-year-old Zeke William Hondow died after being struck head-on while riding his e-bike home from school on the Sunshine Coast.
It is alleged that the collision involved an e-motorcycle ridden by a 15-year-old boy, who has since been charged with multiple offences, including dangerous driving causing death, as well as driving unlicensed, uninsured, and in an unregistered vehicle.
Mr Gagg is calling for stricter rules around e-bikes, including mandatory training, age limits, and enhanced safety measures.
For Ms Haw, her own misfortune did not end with the e-bike collision. On the night her story aired on A Current Affair, she was driving to watch the program when she lost control on a wet road. She survived, but her car was destroyed.
She carries third-party insurance, which does not cover her own vehicle, adding further stress.
A family friend, Jil Gallagher, has set up a GoFundMe to help with Mr Haw’s dental expenses, describing her as a “vibrant, thoughtful and hardworking 23-year-old who is only just beginning her adult life”.
“Holly has been left responsible for the cost of her own medical treatment from an accident she could not prevent,” Ms Gallagher said.
She said the fundraiser has been created to help cover the cost of Ms Maw’s dental reconstruction. About $8000 of the $24,000 goal had been raised at the time of publishing.
“This support will help relieve the financial pressure so she can focus on healing and getting her life back on track.”Ms Haw said she didn’t “ask for this to happen”.
“It’s not my fault … I just have to deal with it forever now.”
