#’Defective’ e-bike puts Brooklyn man in coma after crash: lawsuit

A Brooklyn man landed in a medically induced coma for at least 10 days when he crashed an allegedly defective e-bike just minutes after taking it out for a test ride, his partner claims in new court papers.

Robert Mallin tried out a VanMoof — a gadget that enthusiasts call the “Tesla of electronic bikes” — at a store in Williamsburg on Oct 3rd. But he only made it 500 feet before crashing and fracturing his skull, a Brooklyn Supreme Court petition from Tuesday alleges.

Mallin’s partner Melissa Rosenfeld claims she arrived at the scene of the crash shortly after finding that “the Electric Bike’s rear fender appeared to be in direct contact [with] the rear wheel,” the court papers claim.

“While at the scene I came to learn that a screw or screws were missing from the Electric bike,” Rosenfeld alleged in the court documents.

The 49-year-old father is still in a coma at Bellevue Medical Center having suffered a traumatic brain injury, skull fractures and brain hemorrhaging, the court papers say including dramatic photos of the man with bandages around his head, a brace on his neck and tubes in his mouth.

Rosenfeld is asking for a court to order for VanMoof USA Inc. to safe guard the bike in its current state. She also wants the court to order that bike records and any surveillance video from the incident be maintained.

The petition signals that Rosenfeld could be planning to sue the company.

“It is my understanding that there is physical and digital evidence that is solely within VanMoof’s possession that bears directly upon Robert Mallin’s potential claim(s) against them,” Rosenfeld says in the court papers.

VanMoof did not immediately return a request for comment.