Mobility scooter leaves couple injured

June Petty, 69, was left with a broken pelvis and spent 10 days in hospital while her husband Ken Petty suffered cuts and bruises after being involved in the "hit and run".

The couple were walking near their home in Mexborough, near Rotherham, when the battery-powered scooter crashed into them from behind, knocking them off their feet.

As they lay stunned on the ground the rider, a middle-aged woman, drove off shouting "I have to go to Tesco."

Now the couple are calling for a change in the law to tighten regulations covering the use of the scooters, which can travel up to speeds of around 12mph and have been responsible for a string of accidents.

Retired milkman Mr Petty, 69, said: "She must have been going at some speed because she hit us with so much force that I thought it was a car that had mounted the pavement.

"We both ended up on the floor and the scooter ended up on top of me. I was shouting for her to reverse off but she just looked as if she was in a daze.

"She eventually got off but while we were still down she just sped off and said she was going to Tesco. There were loads of witnesses in the shops nearby and they came to help.

"They couldn't believe what they had seen. If she had hit a child it would have killed them."

Mrs Petty added: "I hit the floor with a lot of force, I was in a lot of pain and I knew I had a serious injury. We were both in shock and I couldn't believe what had happened.

"The woman didn't seem to care about what she had done and she just drove off."

Police and ambulance crews were called and the couple were taken to Rotherham District General Hospital, where Mr Petty was treated for severe bruising to his foot and leg.

Doctors discovered his wife had a broken pelvis and she was kept in hospital for 10 days. She is now having to use a wheelchair.

Mr Petty said: "I think there should be new laws to ensure that people use these scooters in a responsible manner. You see people whizzing about on them all over the place but they are lethal.

"As far as I can see, anyone can just get one. People don't appear to have any training on them and they don't have insurance for them.

"They should be made to have lessons and insurance. We didn't make an official complaint to the police because I doubt they would be able to find her."

Mrs Petty said: "Because of my injuries I feel like a prisoner in my own home. I need help with everything and I don't know how long it will be before I fully recover.

"I will be worried about going out. I will definitely be looking over my shoulder."

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: "We are investigating the incident but at this stage the driver has not been traced, no arrest has been made and no one has been charged.

"Mobility scooters are classed as mechanically propelled vehicles rather than motor vehicles within the Road Traffic Act 1988. Therefore this type of vehicle does not fall within the remit of road traffic law."

The Pettys are the latest in a series of people in Yorkshire to be struck by a mobility scooter.

In March two-year-old Charlie Brooks was hit by a scooter while shopping in Bridlington with his mother. The elderly woman who rode into Charlie, injuring his leg, allegedly shouted "he should have looked where he was going" over her shoulder. And last year Joan Hall, also from Bridlington, spent Christmas in hospital after being sent sprawling by a scooter while she waited to cross the road.

Riders told to reduce speed

According to the law, most mobility scooters are classed as invalid carriages.

Scooters with a maximum speed of 4mph can legally be used on the pavement and to cross the road.

When riding on the pavement, mobility scooter users are advised to reduce their speed to that of pedestrians.

Larger scooters with a maximum speed of 8mph can be used to drive along roads and highways – but not along motorways – and they have to be registered with the DVLA.

These larger scooters legally need to be fitted with lights, indicators, a horn and a rear view mirror to be able to be driven on the road.