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A two-year-old child was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a scrambler-style electric motorbike in Clacton on Thursday evening. Essex Police and emergency medical services rushed to Pathfields Road at approximately 9:00 pm on 13 August, where first responders treated the young toddler before arranging immediate critical air transport. The rider of the vehicle fled the area immediately following the impact, prompting a county-wide search by local officers and road traffic specialists.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the incident occurred in a residential area, drawing widespread alarm among local families. Paramedics worked swiftly at the roadside to stabilise the injured child, whose condition was deemed severe enough to require rapid deployment of an air ambulance to a specialist regional trauma centre. Police cordons were established around Pathfields Road throughout the night to preserve forensic evidence and map the trajectory of the collision.
Specialist investigators from Essex Police are working at pace to identify and apprehend the rider responsible for the hit-and-run. The vehicle involved is described as an off-road, scrambler-style electric bike distinguished by bright red handlebars. Eyewitnesses reported that the individual operating the machine was dressed in a grey hooded top and wore a dark balaclava to conceal their identity before accelerating away from the scene without attempting to render aid.
Chief Inspector Stuart Austin, the district commander for Tendring, confirmed that neighbourhood teams have joined forces with roads policing officers to pursue every available investigative lead. Speaking to Daily Dazzling Dawn, community representatives shared that the brazen nature of the incident has intensified calls for stricter enforcement against unregulated electric vehicles operated illegally on public thoroughfares.
The collision follows heightened concern across the Tendring district regarding the hazardous operation of unregistered e-bikes, electric scooters, and off-road motorbikes. Addressing the broader safety challenges facing the coastal town, Chief Inspector Austin emphasised that dangerous riding continues to pose unacceptable risks to pedestrians, particularly vulnerable children and the elderly.
During a dedicated two-day enforcement initiative conducted late last month, Essex Police seized 27 illicit vehicles and electric scooters across the district. Senior officers have reiterated that enforcement operations will expand significantly in the wake of Thursday night’s incident, with targeted patrols deploying across known anti-social driving hotspots to remove non-compliant machines from public pavements and carriageways.
Detectives are reviewing commercial security recordings, domestic closed-circuit television, and automated doorbell camera footage spanning the surrounding residential network. Motorists who were travelling along Pathfields Road, Old Road, or nearby arterial routes around 9:00 pm on Thursday have been instructed to preserve all dashcam recordings that could assist in establishing the rider's movements before and after the collision.
Officers are actively encouraging anyone who observed a scrambler-style electric bike with red handlebars or who recognises the description of the rider to contact Essex Police immediately. Information, video files, and anonymous intelligence can be submitted directly to investigating officers by quoting reference number 1436 of 13 August.
