A tourist is in intensive care with serious head injuries after an accident in Sandys on Wednesday afternoon.

According to police, the 49-year-old American woman was thrown from a rental scooter driven by her husband after it hit a wall on Scaur Hill in Somerset at about 1.40pm.

A police spokesman said: “It appears that a rental scooter ridden by two American visitors was travelling west along Somerset Road when it struck a wall near Ely’s Harbour.

"It is understood that the impact threw the rider, said to be a 46-year-old man, and his pillion passenger, said to be a 49-year-old woman, over the wall, with both landing on the shoreline below.

“The married couple were recovered from the shoreline by emergency services personnel and rushed to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital via ambulance for treatment.”

The spokesman said the woman is in ICU with life-threatening injuries to her head and legs, while her husband is on a general ward.

Traffic in and out of Somerset was diverted for approximately two hours while the scene was processed.

The spokesman added: “The Bermuda Police Service is aware of a video circulating showing the aftermath of this crash and urge members of the public that if they receive it, please delete it, don’t share it.”

Inquiries continue and witnesses are asked to call the police on 211.