Boy, 15, killed in tragic electric bike crash in Tasmania

A teenager died after his electric bike crashed into a pole in northwestern Tasmania.

15-year-old boy from Devenport was riding his bike on Don Heads Road

Wednesday evening when he crashed into a large wooden pole.

Police said a witness ran to help the child, but the child could not be saved and died at the scene.

Inspector Nick Clark said a helmet was found but they could not say whether the child was wearing it at the time of the crash.

“He was only 15, so it’s tragic,” Mr Clark told the ABC.

Only two types of e-bikes are legal in Tasmania; power-assisted pedal cycles and electrically assisted bicycles.

Power-assisted pedal cycles are usually powered by pedaling equipped with an auxiliary motor and cannot exceed 200 watts and weigh no more than 50 kg.

Electric power assist bikes also provide power through pedaling, but the power assist gradually decreases as travel speed increases and cannot exceed 250 watts.

Police have warned potential buyers about the dangers of illegal e-bikes ahead of Christmas and encouraged them to “research your purchase”.

The tragedy occurred just hours after another fatality in a road accident in Tasmania; A 72-year-old man died after his motorcycle went off the road near Campbell Town.

The Kings Meadows man crashed into a culvert on Macquarie Road on Wednesday and died at the scene.

Two separate crashes take Tasmania’s 2025 toll to 44; this was the highest number since 2022, when 50 people died on the roads.

Mr Clark said the increase in motorcyclists killed in 2025 was a “concerning factor”.