The collision occurred around 8:30 p.m. on California Street between Addison Street and Allston Way, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
Berkeley, CA. – 34-year-old Jorge Eduardo Velazquez Sosa was killed Saturday evening after crashing an electric Segway scooter into a parked vehicle in central Berkeley, authorities reported.
The collision occurred around 8:30 p.m. on California Street between Addison Street and Allston Way, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
Police said the rider, identified by the Alameda County Coroner's Office as Velazquez Sosa of Oakland, was operating an electric Segway scooter when he struck a parked car.
Investigators reported that Velazquez Sosa was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and suffered a severe head injury.
Berkeley police officers arrived at the scene and initiated life-saving measures until Berkeley Fire Department personnel responded and took over. Despite emergency efforts, Velazquez Sosa was pronounced dead at the scene.
The precise cause and manner of death remain under investigation by the coroner's office. The Berkeley PD's Fatal Accident Investigation Team is continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
E-scooter accidents and related injuries have risen sharply in California and across the U.S. in recent years, with a UCSF study noting an over 18-fold increase in e-bike incidents reported in California's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System from 2018-2023. A separate UCLA study found that the injury rate for e-scooters in Los Angeles was significantly higher than the national injury rate for motorcycles, with an estimated 115 injuries per one million e-scooter trips. Across the U.S., emergency department visits related to electric scooters and e-bikes have increased dramatically, with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reporting approximately 56,847 e-scooter injuries in 2022 alone. Between 2017 and 2022, the CPSC was aware of 233 deaths associated with micromobility devices, though this reporting is ongoing. Common injuries from e-scooter accidents include fractures, contusions, and head/neck trauma, with less than 5% of injured riders in one study wearing a helmet at the time of their accident.
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