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INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man says the city-county council and the Bird and Lime Scooter companies, need to change the rules to allow people to ride scooters on sidewalks.

Devin Craig tells WISH-TV he was riding a Bird scooter on the sidewalk downtown when a police officer warned him that he was not supposed to be riding on the sidewalk, per city ordinance. Craig complied and moved onto the street.

When he did that he said he hit a rough stretch of road and wiped out, braking his kneecap, scraping his arm and chipping a tooth. He said he’ll be okay, but added that he doesn’t agree scooters should only on city streets.

“No, not at all,” Craig said. “Between dodging cars in traffic, getting hit by a car potentially, potholes. It’s just a lot of factors are there.”

Another Indianapolis man made headlines when he was riding on the sidewalk and was hit by a truck pulling out of a parking garage. 

Francsican Health couldn’t give exact numbers of how many patients they have seen injured from riding scooters, but Dr. Nicholas Petit said he’s personally seen around five patients in the last couple months since the scooters came to town.

“It’s actually very common,” Dr. Petit said. “It’s just like bike safety. We tell (patients) to wear a helmet but what we do doesn’t always impact what they do outside of here.”   

“Bird is committed to partnering with cities to ensure the community and it’s visitors, safely embrace our affordable and environmentally friendly transportation options,” Bird said in a statement after learning of Craig’s accident.

(PHOTO: NuPhoto/Getty Images)