Emily Hartridge death: YouTube star identified as first person in UK killed riding e-scooter

Emily Hartridge​ is believed to have been the first to die in the UK in an incident involving an e-scooter

A woman who was killed while riding an electric scooter in southwest London has been identified as Youtuber and Channel 4 presenter Emily Hartridge.

The 35-year-old, known for her videos under the name Emily Hart, collided with a lorry and died at the scene shortly after 8:30am on Friday at Queen’s Circus roundabout in Battersea.

Hartridge is believed to have been the first to die in the UK in an incident involving an e-scooter. The mode of transport, which can reach speeds exceeding 30mph, is banned from both pavements and roads in the UK and has already been involved in deaths in countries including the US, Sweden and France.

A Department for Transport review is currently considering legalising the use of e-scooters in public spaces.

The Youtuber started to record vlogs on the site in 2012, sharing videos every Monday and amassing a following of more than 345,000 subscribers with her light-hearted takes on love and life, as well as her regular 10 reasons why series. Alongside her self-published work, Hartridge also presented on Channel 4 on shows including Oh S**t I’m 30!

She had been due to host a mental health meetup for women in London’s Green Park on Saturday afternoon called Brain Buddies, prompting her family to reach out to fans through her social media channels before the event.

In a statement posted to her Instagram account, her family said: “This is a horrible thing to have to say over Instagram but we know many of you were expecting to see Emily today and this is the only way to contact all of you at once.

“Emily was involved in an accident yesterday and passed away. We all loved her to bits and she will never be forgotten. She has touched so many lives it’s hard to imagine things without her. She was a very special person.”

Hartridge recently revealed she was trying to have children with partner Jacob Hazell, telling followers she was undergoing hormone therapy “in the hopes of freezing some embryos”.

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In a post shared four days before her death, she added: “Yesterday I hung out with my gorgeous nephew Arlo and niece Winter. We hugged, we laughed, we played, Arlo called me a fat pig.

“It was a much needed distraction from the hormonal/tired/bloated/emotional state I am currently in.

“Who knows, one day hopefully I will have one of my own.”

Davina McCall led tributes to the 35-year-old, writing on Instagram: “My heart goes out to Emily’s family and friends. Such a shock. Sending you love and prayers.” Chef and food writer Gizzi Erskine added: “Finding this very very hard to compute. Devastating.”

Comedian London Hughes wrote on Twitter: “Yesterday my whole road was blocked off with police tape due to a road incident, I walked past the scene and thought hope the person’s OK... turns out the person wasn’t okay. My friend is dead and now I feel completely sick.”