Weather 
SEAL BEACH, Calif. () — A 72-year-old Seal Beach woman who was seriously injured after being struck by a teen riding an e-motorcycle earlier this year is speaking publicly for the first time, sharing details of her recovery and urging greater safety and accountability surrounding e-bikes and e-motorcycles.
Stephanie Potter said she remembers little about the March crash beyond entering a crosswalk at Ocean Avenue around 5:30 p.m. after meeting friends on Main Street.
She woke up in the ICU with serious injuries.
“My leg was broken. My right leg, actually my tibia. My left hand, my nose and my jaw — broken,” she said.
Potter said she later learned she had been struck by a teenager riding what she described as an illegal Surron e-motorcycle.
The Seal Beach Police Department said the juvenile rider was not injured.
Potter spent two weeks in the ICU followed by four weeks at a rehabilitation facility. She was able to go home after she could speak and swallow independently.
Four months after the crash, she remains in recovery.
“My jaw’s not quite fixed, so my verbiage is a little mumbled,” Potter said.
Reflecting on her survival, Potter said, “I don’t know if someone was watching over me. I don’t know how I survived, because I had some pretty extensive injuries.”
During Potter’s recovery, 81-year-old Ed Ashman was also struck by a teen riding an e-motorcycle in Lake Forest and later died from his injuries.
An Orange County mother is facing an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter after the death of an 81-year-old man, who had been hit by an electric motorcycle driven by her teen son.
After returning home, Potter said she has focused on advocating for e-bike and e-motorcycle safety, especially for parents who allow their children to use them.
“It’s not to punish. It’s to educate. The people need to understand, if you allow your child to travel on an e-bike, there’s rules and regulations to follow that come with that,” Potter said.
Potter said she is scheduled to undergo surgery next month to re-break and reset her jaw. She hopes sharing her experience will highlight how a single purchase and poor decision can have lasting consequences.
“Because I’ve been a victim, I want people to be aware, and it has to happen now, because this is becoming an increasingly large problem,” she said.
Potter is scheduled to share her story on July 28 at an e-bike safety luncheon hosted by the Seal Beach Rotary Club. Representatives from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office are also expected to attend.
A request for comment was sent to the District Attorney’s Office asking whether the parents in Potter’s case could face charges. A response had not been received at the time of publication.
SEE ALSO: OC mom appears in court after being charged in death of man, 81, struck by teen son on e-motorcycle
An arraignment was postponed for the mother of a teenage boy accused of fatally hitting an 81-year-old man while illegally riding an e-motorcycle.
© 2026 Television,
