Struck by an e-bike in Honolulu, Hawaii — she can no longer taste or smell

A woman in Honolulu, Hawaii says her life changed forever after she was hit by an electric bike.
The crash left her unable to taste or smell anything.
She said, “My nerves were severed so I will never smell or taste again, ever.”

She was walking when a rider on an e-bike struck her.
The impact caused a serious brain injury.
Doctors say nerve and brain damage can erase taste and smell permanently.
These are invisible losses, but they are life-changing.

A growing pattern in Honolulu

Honolulu emergency services report a sharp rise in e-bike and micro-mobility crashes.
Injury calls involving e-bikes have jumped year over year.
A national study found head injuries from e-bike crashes rose sharply in recent years.

Officials in Honolulu, Hawaii are concerned.
They warn that some e-bikes are heavy and fast, raising risk on shared paths and sidewalks.

What officials and hospitals are saying

Honolulu EMS Director Jim Ireland said they have seen “a corresponding increase in calls for bike accidents.”
A trauma program manager in Hawaiʻi said injuries among youth “more than doubled” since e-bikes became common.

Because of these numbers, Honolulu lawmakers are now looking at new rules.
Ideas include updated helmet laws, limits on sidewalk riding, and clearer rules on speed and lanes.

Daily life after the crash

The woman says basic joys are gone.
She cannot smell coffee or taste food.
She faces a long medical and emotional recovery.
“I’m still here,” she said, “but I’m different.”

Why this matters

This is not just one unlucky case.
More e-bikes on streets means more points of contact with pedestrians.
One careless moment can alter a life forever.
Riders and walkers share the same spaces — and both sides need protection.

My Take

E-bikes are not the villain. People are.
Powerful tools in the wrong context become dangerous fast.
You can see this same pattern with cars, scooters, and even phones in hands while walking.

What scares me most in this story is not the crash — it is what the crash took.
Taste and smell are tiny daily joys you don’t notice until they are gone forever.
That is a brutal price for someone else’s moment of speed or inattention.

We keep building new mobility without building new rules or new habits.
Sidewalks are now shared with devices they were never designed for.
The law is behind. The culture is behind. The risk is already here.

E-bikes are good for cities — they cut traffic, cut emissions, and make short trips easy.
But “good” and “safe” are not the same thing.
If cities do nothing, more stories like this will come.

Real safety will take three things:
— riders slowing down
— cities drawing better lines
— lawmakers closing loopholes instead of reacting after injury

Until that happens, pedestrians carry the risk — and they have the least protection.

Have your say

Do you think new rules for e-bikes in cities like Honolulu, Hawaii are needed?
Should speed and lanes be controlled better — or should pedestrians adapt to new mobility?

Share your view in the comments.
And if this story matters to you, please share it with a friend or on social media — that helps this blog grow.

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