Mom who saved daughter from e-scooter crash suffering memory loss

A woman in her 30s who was severely injured in an e-scooter crash last month has regained consciousness, but is suffering from brain damage that has taken away memories of even her children.

It was reported Saturday that the victim regained consciousness around Oct. 24, six days after the accident, but has lost much of her memory. "Her brain has been damaged, resulting in amnesia like the cases you see on TV dramas. She has no feelings for her children," her husband was quoted as saying by local media outlets.

The accident occurred on Oct. 18, when an electric scooter driven by two teens struck the victim and her young daughter on a sidewalk in Songdo-dong, Incheon. The mother shielded her daughter and was able to protect her from severe injury, but she fell to the ground and sustained a serious injury to her own head.

The husband said their children are suffering from emotional scars, possibly from the lack of care from their mother or because of trauma from the accident. He also said the family is under financial strain due to the significant costs incurred in treating the injury.

The two teens -- 14-year-old girls in middle school -- are under investigation for operating a vehicle without a valid license, but are not covered by any insurance programs that would have provided compensation for the accident. The victim's family has no means of seeking financial compensation, except to file a civil lawsuit against the teens' families.

South Korea's Road Traffic Act states that "personal mobility vehicles" such as e-scooters can only be used by those aged 16 and up with a license to drive a motorized bicycle or car. But the country has been seeing a consistent increase in the number of accidents involving PM vehicles, especially those driven by people without a valid license.