Six children have been placed on life support at Temple Street Children's Hospital over the past two weeks following e-scooter-related injuries.
Doctors at the hospital are calling for stronger legislation, arguing that the current laws governing e-scooter use are failing to protect children.
Professor Darach Crimmins, a surgeon at Temple Street, believes a complete ban on e-scooters is necessary.
"I've been in operating with my colleagues most nights on children. It's now the single biggest cause of head trauma in children, and has been for the last year. Skull fractures, intracranial haemorrhage, surgery to relieve pressure on the brain, surgery to put in pressure monitors," he said.
"All these children end up back on life support in our intensive care units. Some of them will be on life support for some weeks and some of them may not make it."
"None of these children that I've treated this week will be the same children ever again. Severe brain injuries will affect them physically, socially and intellectually.
"They will never reach the same level of educational or social attainment that they would have had if this had not happened."
Professor Crimmins said the surge in e-scooter injuries is also placing significant pressure on hospital resources, diverting surgeons from treating children with other serious conditions.
"I've been in most nights, so that means I'm not operating as much as I should be during the day on children with other problems like congenital brain problems, brain tumours, etc. I'm quite angry. I'm doing these awful operations in the middle of the night, knowing this is completely preventable. And all it takes is a strong government to turn around and say, 'Okay, enough is enough.'"
Dr Emer Ryan, who also works at Temple Street, described the devastating injuries being treated.
"Children are coming off e-scooters like little catapults. Their skulls are crushed against the pavement. They're crushed against lamp posts. They damage their internal organs, and the consequences are life-changing."
Doctors at the hospital say e-scooter-related accidents now account for more than half of the children currently being treated in the intensive care unit.
In 2025, more than 400 children were hospitalised following e-scooter incidents.
