Former ABC Classic presenter Margaret Throsby says she is lucky to be alive after she was badly injured by an e-bike in the Illawarra last month.
The 84-year-old veteran broadcaster, who spent 55 years as a renowned presenter across the ABC, is undergoing rehabilitation as an outpatient after two weeks in hospital and a "pins and plates" surgery to repair a broken femur.
Two teenage boys on an e-bike crashed into Ms Throsby as she was walking on a shared path on September 25.
She also suffered a broken thumb and extensive bleeding from her head, which left her nursing two haematomas.
Ms Throsby said she was enjoying a "beautiful" Friday morning when she suddenly found herself on the ground.
"I landed on my hip and my shoulder and my head but if it had been just on my head I don't think I would have survived it, actually," she said.
"They were going at such a pace that I would have hit the ground at a terrific impact and who knows what might have happened."
E-bike crash 'very bad luck'
Ms Throsby said she harboured no ill will towards the boys, who waited by her side after the accident and have stayed in touch.
Neither will be charged over the crash.
Ms Throsby said the boys had told her they were distracted by a moth that landed on the rider.
"And in that instant, he ploughed into me and he was going pretty fast," she said.
"The combined weight of two big 16-year-olds and the bike itself, I didn't have a chance, really."
Other bystanders also rushed to Ms Throsby's aid until paramedics and police arrived.
"I just remember the pain when they tried to put me on the stretcher," she said.
"I yelled because of the broken bone at the top of the leg, I think I said a few rude words."
Ms Throsby has only just started to walk without crutches.
"It was very bad luck that it happened and certainly it was an accident," she said.
"But these bikes … they're pretty lethal."
Call for crackdown
The former broadcaster is now calling for stronger e-bike rules and enforcement to protect pedestrians and young riders.
"I don't blame these boys because it was genuinely an accident and they [were] extremely crestfallen and have kept in touch," she said.
"I think we've got to swing the attention around onto the laws and then policing the laws, so that people really get the feeling that they can't be reckless on e-bikes."
In NSW, e-bike motors must legally cut out at a speed of 25 kilometres per hour.
They can be powered up to 500 Watts, although that will be cut to 250W by mid-2027.
If the rider is not pedalling, the throttle must cut out at 6km/h.
NSW Police and Transport for NSW can now seize illegal e-bikes and destroy them under new laws introduced in August.
So far, 23 illegal e-bikes have been destroyed.
Ms Throsby said she wanted the state government to consider Queensland's model, where only teenagers over the age of 16 were permitted to ride e-bikes alone, and all riders must hold a valid drivers licence — either learner or provisional.
Children aged between 12 and 17, without a learner's licence, are able to ride under parental supervision.
"I really don't want to be a cold drink on people who are having a good time," she said.
"But I do think some rules have to apply and they have to be adhered to.
The NSW government has said it intended to introduce age restrictions for the use of e-bikes.
In a statement, NSW Minister for Transport John Graham extended his sympathies to Ms Throsby and wished her a speedy recovery.
He said the state government intended to undertake more "enforcement blitzes" soon.
"We are taking the risks posed by dangerous e-bike use very seriously," he said.
"Many of the owners of these illegal bikes were teenagers, and there is no greater signal of actions having consequences than seeing your bike seized and destroyed."
