Family and friends are banding together to help out Nicole Stevens, a respected local businesswoman and cannabis marketing consultant who was severely injured in a scooter accident last month on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
On the afternoon of December 29, Stevens, known for her work in the cannabis industry, was struck by a fast-moving electric scooter while working at Medmen on Santa Monica Boulevard. The accident, described as both horrific and preventable by witnesses, left Stevens with serious injuries including skull fractures and brain trauma, leading to seizures and post-concussive amnesia.
Carrie Brown, a retired teacher and part-time employee at Medmen, witnessed the accident. “It was devastating,” Brown said.
Friends and family have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Stevens’ medical expenses. The campaign, organized by Loely Burgos, founder of PlantEDG and close friend of Stevens, emphasizes the immediate need for financial assistance due to the extensive nature of her injuries. “Nicole has a long road of physical therapy and occupational therapy ahead,” Burgos said. “The medical bills are going to be a huge burden for her family, and we want to do everything we can to help.”
The campaign has so far reached $1,995 toward its $30,000 goal.
The Stevens are well-regarded in the local cannabis industry, having run the first medical dispensary in the Santa Barbara area. Their commitment to supporting licensed brands has earned them a strong network of friends and professional acquaintances, many of whom are now rallying to support one of their own in this time of need.
The GoFundMe page also notes that all funds raised will go directly to Nicole and her husband, Pete Stevens, with the organizers not collecting any funds. As the community bands together, there is a growing call for action to prevent similar accidents in the future. Residents hope that the city council will take steps to ensure the safety of pedestrians, particularly in high-traffic areas like Santa Monica Boulevard.
“West Hollywood is one of the best walkable neighborhoods in all of our county,” Brown said. “It’s one of my favorite things about our great city. For our sidewalks to become unsafe would be a great loss.”
I was an eye witness to this horrible accident. The scooter rider went onto the sidewalk because the bike lane ended, he past right by us going no more than 5 miles per hour. The “victim” was having a loud animated conversation with a store employee and walking backwards into the sidewalk. She basically jumped in front of him. People from the store said repeatedly that she was high and needs to watch where she’s going. They both got injured. The scooter rider fell just as bad, he was giving her medical attention and calling the paramedics at the same… Read more »
So where’s the scooter rider in this story? I feel bad for the victims and hope for a full and speedy recovery for them but to be honest this story seems more like a tone of “look what’s happened now” rather than a story about a vehicular hit and run, which would provide as much detail about the incident as possible, not simply “it was devastating” by the single witness interviewed. The family should be trying to find out who was riding the scooter and they and law enforcement should go after the scooter rider and hold them accountable. Thank… Read more »
I agree
Your simpleton response leaves out the fact that people ride, illegally, on the sidewalks, because there is no fear of being caught, and the penalties are insignificant. If there were signs on every block “Penalty for riding on the sidewalk is one year minimum mandatory in prison”, perhaps it might be safer. We don’t need you to tell us how bad you supposedly feel for the victims. The problem, as usual, is people responsible for making and writing laws, have other things to worry about, like raising money for reelection.
Calling someone a simpleton and dismissing their feeling for the victim seems a reflection on you and your apparent intolerance of others. Not cool.🙄
If she was in fact working at the time, shouldn’t California’s illustrious Workman’s Comp coverage take care of her medical needs????
This person who “having run the first ‘medical’ dispensary in the Santa Barbara area” needs 💲 help in getting Medical⚕ assistance from Big Pharma & Medical⚕ Doctors, doesn’t cannabis take away any & all pain and cure everything ❓ Is anyone at these ‘medical dispensaries‘ a Medical⚕ Doctor, Nurse (BSN), Paramedic or EMT or even trained in Basic Life Saving (BLS) when it comes to these likely accidents including gun shot injuries❓ The Single Payer Universal Healthcare system I support would solve ALL these problems ❗
Are you auditioning to be a speech writer for Joe and/or Kamala?
I DON’T work for closeted reactionaries who promote the genocidal policies of western imperialism abroad and silence descent domestically❗🇵🇸
You say this as the National Health Service in the UK and Canada’s national health care systems are falling apart, although neither ever had the quality care we in the US have always had. The private sector does just about everything far better than the public sector. I do not want the government having any involvement in my healthcare.
Canada’s universal health-care system is achieving its goals by a landslide. As for Britain’s truly Socialized Medical program the National Health Service is agreed by many (Medical⚕ Science experts) to be The Best Health Care System in the World ❗
Oh Cy, Cy, Cy, Cy, Cy, ……….
Gotta hand it to you ….. you’ll do whatever it takes to advance the cause!
But nobody is buying it!
How mistaken you are and, I won’t leave a hyperlink this time to ruin the suspense❗
Do note if my idea was in place of making Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood into a street like the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica where private vehicles are prohibited and, ONLY Public Transit & scooters are allowed; this lovely well respected cannabis drug lord may well have not been injured.
Mr. Husain, Santa Monica Blvd. is a State road, originally Route 66. Your concept sounds like a lovely wish but not practical and likely not legally possible. Please take another look at 3rd Street Promenade is is different than you think.
Yes the opposition is formidable but, enough public pressure can make a-lot happen.
Formidable? You would propose turning SMB into a 3rd St Promenade eliminating vehicles? You would propose eliminating the main east west traffic artery in West Hollywood? How would you account for where people would leave or park their cars in order to jump on public transportation? Would you have cars then travel through neighborhoods and/or via the “to be revised” and narrowed Fountain Ave? Perhaps Sunset Blvd.?
Have rarely agreed with any of your comments although occasionally you offer a shred of unknown info however, my first instincts seem to be correct underscored by this fantastically unrealistic idea.
Do consider the County of Los Angeles Metro Park & Ride program currently in place.
Must park and ride programs pick a person up at point A and deliver them to point B and are not accessible to what was termed a local vs. express service. The concept in either form would have to deal with vehicles deposited at point A. Where would that appear from? Urban parking lots replacing single family homes? Or mire parking structures along SMB? Does not appear plausible.
With Skyscrapers in the Great City of West Hollywood that rival what’s in NYC & Dubai, an awful lot could be achieved ❗ 😲
Rival NYC and Dubai? That’s more than a stretch. Now you are an authority on architecture and mobility?
Oh yes that’s more like a Quantum Leap than a stretch that’s in no way beyond our capabilities, just beyond the imagination and interest of those in power. Now a few elective courses in Design including AutoCAD and Finite Element Simulation (Computers & Physics Applications) does NOT make me an authority in the field but, know enough to consult the very best: Zaha Hadid Architects ❗
Right Cy, and you are consulting them on exactly what? Seems as though you may be tempted by delusions of grandeur but carry on!
Well if more people would shoot them an email asking their opinion like I did (notice it’s left me to single handedly save West Hollywood) as opposed to listening to “get rich quick” crooks, things would be much better off.
If Architecture and Design is so important to you, I would suggest you go to Zaha Hadid Architects/Careers and fill out an application for a job or internship before writing off such aspirations off as “unrealistic.”
PARIS BANS ALL ELECTRIC SCOOTERS. In Paris, the city’s administration has taken a firm stance against rental electric scooters, culminating in a ban that takes effect 9/1/23 The journey to this decision began in 2018 when rental e-scooters were first introduced to the streets of Paris. Despite becoming a popular mode of transportation, they also became a source of hundreds of accidents, some resulting in fatalities. Now, the three companies that operate scooters must remove all their devices from Paris streets by the end August 2023. Riders in the French capital started using stand-up e-scooters for rent in 2018. They became… Read more »
Well the right-wing reactionary policies of France especially under mega whimp Emmanuel Macron should be an inspiration to no one. The few empirical studies on e-scooter safety I found published came from emergency departments in cities like Los Angeles where e-scooters launched early on. France sees no reason to just their policies with reason. The studies do accurately account for scooter injuries but, OMIT the fact that the majority of serious injuries and deaths on scooters result from automobile collisions.
Was walking my dog last night, out of no where, on the sidewalk (no light, no horn) a guy wearing black and on a scooter plows us down. Thank god, my dog is alright. Can’t imagine the trauma this poor woman is going through. I’m ready to sue the city for negligence and bodily harm.
But do we know how the accident happened? Did the scooter rider use the sidewalk? The story does not provide that detail.
yes it does. He was definitely riding at full speed on the sidewalk. Read the GoFundMe details.
Thank you, Mikie.
“On Friday, December 29, 2023, Nicole arrived at Madmen WeHo to work a promotion for our client Jetty when she was suddenly struck at full speed (approx. 20 miles an hour according to witnesses) by a man riding an electric scooter on the side walk.” These details are both very vague and inaccurate at best. If it was a rented scooter, it would be unable to reach a speed of 20 mph. Was it a rented scooter, or privately owned? Do they know who and how the rider responded or did they just ride away? Was there a Police… Read more »
Why not simply add pertinent details in the article or in your comment. It appears this occurred in front of Med Men 8208 SMB on 12/29/23 with no specific time mentioned. It would help to know the time in regards to possible witnesses nearby.
The fact is City Council knew these were dangerous, received testimony after testimony at city council meetings, yet have not taken action to mitigate safety risks to pedestrians.
“I do acknowledge that there are some benefits to the program,” Heilman said. “But they also have created a significant safety problem for our community. We have riders who irresponsibly ride on the sidewalks.”
While Erickson gaslighted residents over their concerns and voted to extend the pilot.
Please speak to a lawyer, you might have a liability claim against the city.
The City Council has evidently had their self interests and priorities elsewhere. Injury to the sister of a current. 🙄 Councilmember barely moved the needle. Bad news brings more bad news. 😨 We are about to inaugurate a new cheerleader. More bad news. 😱
Was anyone able to identify the scooter company?
Lyft or whichever scooter company it was will have a digital record of the rider together with prints on the handles. It won’t be difficult to track him down.
Nicole won’t be the last unless these scooters are banned. Any moron can see how dangerous these things are.
I informed a female scooter rider coming towards me on the sidewalk one day last week that it was illegal to ride those on the sidewalk. I didn’t catch what she said in response but her tone was dismissive and defiant.
Any rational person can see that trucks and automobiles are far more dangerous than electric scooters. The vast majority of serious injuries and deaths that occur on electric scooters result from being struck by a Truck or automobile. 80% of the electric scooter🛴 fatalities were hit by drivers of automobiles. So can we expect you to be coming out for an automobile ban anytime soon❓
Yep! Now that’s a cause we can agree on!
Let’s ban trucks on sidewalks!
The state’s ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035 aims to significantly reduce its largest source of carbon emissions & air pollution and, will have numerous other benefits including increased safety.