Driver of Atlanta ‘pedal pub’ charged with DUI after 15 injured in crash

All 15 passengers on the pedal pub electric bike were injured after Saturday’s crash with two suffering critical injuries

The driver of an Atlanta ‘pedal pub’ was charged with a DUI by the Atlanta police after the electric bike crashed while making a turn with a tour group on-board on Saturday. (WSBTV.com/screengrab)

The driver of a multi-person party bike has been charged with a DUI after a crash that injured 15 passengers over the weekend in Atlanta.

The “pedal pub” was attempting to make a turn near Peachtree St and 14th St in midtown Atlanta on Saturday afternoon when the electric bike transporting more than a dozen passengers tipped over, police said in a press release.

“All 15 patrons on the bike were injured and taken to area hospitals. None of the injuries appeared life threatening,” police said.

The driver, otherwise referred to as the “pilot” of the bike as they’re tasked with making the turns, was charged with a DUI and a business permit violation, according to police.

According to the website for Pedal Pub Atlanta, the party bike company markets itself as an eco-friendly tour experience.

First responders attend to victims of the pedal pub crash in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday. (WSBTV.com/screengrab)

The bikes, which are popular tourist offerings in cities around the world, are powered by three main elements: electricity, the passengers who passively pedal while they sit and drink at the mini bar, and lastly the driver, or pilot, who sits at the front.

Atlanta Fire Battalion Chief Jason McClain told WXIA that two of the passengers who were injured in Saturday’s crash suffered critical injuries, while three of the passengers were in serious condition.

A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department told The Independent that more updates in the incident report will be released this week, as of Monday morning the report was not complete.

First responders from the Atlanta fire department and police department attend to victims of Saturday’s pedal pub crash. (WSBTV.com/screengrab)

The identity of the person who was acting as the bike’s pilot has not been identified by Atlanta police, and officers did not disclose in the press release what specific kind of substance the person was suspected of taking.

In Georgia, impaired driving laws cover alcohol, drugs or any other intoxicating substance.

Some of the passengers on Saturday’s pedal pub, according to the husband of one of the victims of the crash, were there as part of a bachelorette party trip.

“She just said it flipped over, it was turning a certain direction,” Nabeal Musa, a husband to one of the tour’s participants, told WSBTV.com after the crash on Saturday. He added that some of the passengers then became pinned under the bike. “They were on the opposite side, so it flipped on one side … They kind of climbed over to get out.”

The city’s fire chief told the news outlet that while his team and the emergency responders in Atlanta prepare for these kinds of calls, this was the first instance where he’d been on-call for a “crash involving one of the mobile pub cars”.

The Independent reached out to the Atlanta bike tour company for comment but did not receive a response as of the publication of this article.