Leigh Tagell: Sister of man killed in Kalgoorlie e-scooter crash calls for anti-tampering laws before inquiry

The heartbroken sister of a 41-year-old man killed after a crash on his e-scooter — which she believes he had modified — has called for anti-tampering laws ahead of a WA parliamentary inquiry into their safety. Brooke Lane wants tighter controls after her brother Leigh Tagell’s died in an e-scooter crash on February 17 in Kalgoorlie. Mr Tagell had left work for the week on a Friday with plans to catch up with his manager for a beer to show off his new e-scooter before returning home to his partner for Valentines Day. However, Mr Tagell lost control after hitting a crack in the concrete pavement when passing the town’s St John WA ambulance branch. First responders fought to revive him, initially taking him to the local health campus, before he was flown to Royal Perth Hospital. But after three days in hospital, he died of his injuries. Ms Lane has now lent her voice to the parliamentary inquiry in the hope it will prevent similar tragedies. Along with anti-tampering laws to prevent the modifications she believes her brother made, Ms Lane also wants all users to be licensed through the Department of Transport. “He was a bit crafty, so he may have turned it on the internet to American standards to 50km/h,” she said. “I think that’s what Leigh did, because he tampered with it, with the scooter. “This needs to be highlighted, because I don’t know how they’re going to monitor that.” Ms Lane said advocating for change gave her brother a legacy beyond being another statistic, while also giving her a sense of purpose in her grief. “He’s my only brother. So we’re going to fight till the end,” she said. “I wanted to make his life matter. I don’t want him to be a number. “He’s given so much to everyone else, it’s time we do something for him.” Before his death, the family also chose to donate his organs, giving others a chance at life as his final gift. Ms Lane described her brother as a smart, kind, caring and often complex man who had been a cheeky and playful kid growing up in Melbourne before the family moved west. “Leigh was really kind and he cared. He’d do anything for anyone,” she said. “He was just a nice kid growing up and we had a really good relationship. He was always happy. Always into mischief. He was like my best friend.” Carey McCaul, who was Mr Tagell’s friend and branch manager at Rema Tip Top Australia where he worked said his team were gutted by the tragedy. Mr Tagell had been on his way to visit his mate when he crashed. “I was actually at home having a few beers. Leigh quite often came over to my place,” Mr McCaul said. “He actually rang me that day and said ‘I’ll be over in 10 minutes, I want to show you my new scooter’. I said ‘no worries, mate.’ “Then, I started getting phone calls and it was just complete devastation from then on.” Mr McCaul admitted it had been the hardest thing he’s ever had to grapple with. “I’m still devastated. I cry all the time thinking about my mate. I loved him heaps. He was one-of-a-kind,” he told The West. “We lost not only a good mate, but a great person, a great worker. He’s my daughter’s Godfather as well.” Mr McCaul went as far to say they should be banned and admitted he’s kept his daughters off them after losing Ms Tagell. “I think they should be banned. Get rid of them. The only thing you can blame is how dangerous the bloody scooter is really. Something definitely needs to be done,” he said. Mr McCaul, who rushed to Mr Tagell in hospital in both Kalgoorlie and after he was flown to Perth, said he was proud of his friend and vowed to “keep living Leigh’s dream.” “I think that’s really honourable for him to do that. I hope that he did save some lives and he’s still roaming around the world,” Mr McCaul said. “I’d like to meet those people, but I don’t think you’re allowed to. But yeah, I hope he’s still around somewhere. “We’re going to honour his legacy and keep going for him.” A string of other submissions from educators, retired or serving police officers, elderly residents among others, outlined a raft of suggestions. It included banning e-scooters from paths, mandatory Compulsory Third Party insurance and giving more powers for police and local rangers to issue penalties. Several submissions refer to pedestrians being hit or near misses. One respondent said they’re still in “constant pain” after they were left with a dislocated shoulder and torn meniscus when a schoolboy riding a e-scooter slammed into them on the footpath. Another says they were wiped out on West Coast drive Sorrento and another on a shared beachside footpath in Hillarys. One police officer who called for mandatory insurance said his new Tesla was struck by a 15-year-old near Duncraig Senior High School, causing $3700 damage. While the incident was captured on video, the student’s father refused to provide details and WA Police had no grounds to issue the boy a ticket. A Melbourne-expat said they feel “hyper-cautious” and “do not feel safe walking on footpaths” in Perth, blaming the poor bike lane infrastructure and attitude that riders can use footpaths. While most were in favour of tightening e-scooter laws, several submissions supported their use. One pro-e-scooter respondent said a ban would send Perth “back into the dark ages.” Educator Steve Healy said despite students losing a peer last year, he frequently saw hazards with e-scooters , leaving him “deeply concerned.” “In 2024, our college community experienced a devastating tragedy when one of our students was fatally struck by a car while crossing a road,” he said. “Many students use earphones while riding, severely limits their ability to hear surrounding traffic.” He called for age-appropriate usage limits, stricter enforcement, and public awareness campaigns. “Without stronger regulation, education, and enforcement, we risk further tragedies and ongoing harm to individuals, families, and school communities,” he said. City of Vicent Mayor Alison Xamon is among those lining up to have her say on the inquiry. Despite being well-known for rolling into council meetings on her e-scooter — as her main form of transport — she’s backing a crackdown. Powering them down after 8pm, limiting where they can go, jacking up fines and tightening import and modification rules are among the inner-city Perth mayor pitches. Her call comes fresh off the back of axing the City’s e-scooter trial in June over safety concerns amid WA’s spate of fatal crashes. Cr Xamon has also been leading a push for more councils to implement capped 40km/h streets, which she says she’ll also take to the inquiry to reduce high impact crashes between cars and e-rideables. But WA isn’t alone in probing the issue, following parliamentary inquiries in New South Wales and Queensland. While the QLD probe only launched in May and won’t report until 2026, NSW handed down their findings earlier this year, which included 34 recommendations. But instead of banning e-scooters from footpaths, the NSW government lifted the restriction for riders and upped the speed allowed to 15km/h. In WA, riders are allowed to use shared paths but are only allowed to travel at 10km/h. Both probes acknowledged the confusion across three levels of government. While the States are responsible for enforcement, road rules and penalties — the Federal Government holds regulatory authority over the importation. A spokeswoman Australian Border Force admitted the issue of legitimate products being brought in by modified to enable higher speeds is “one of the difficulties” for regulation. Non-road vehicles don’t require permission to be imported into Australia, as they’re not regulated under the legislation. However, those classed road vehicles do need permission. The Department of Transport has the power to issue “advisory notices” to things it has assessed as not being road vehicles. And while e-scooters which are brought in as legal and capped at 25km/h — users only need to watch a Youtube video to figure out how to modify them to be faster. “One of the difficulties with any attempt to regulate e-bikes and e-scooters at the border is that legitimate products can be modified to enable higher speeds once they are in Australia,” she said. “E-bikes and e-scooters can also consist of parts that are manufactured and/or assembled in Australia, without the need to import a fully assembled device.” Submissions for the inquiry close Friday, July 18.