With scooter-sharing companies springing up all over the country, the use of electric scooters has increased dramatically in recent years. It’s understandable why electric scooters are so popular because they are readily available, simple to operate, and frequently eco-friendly. But growing pains accompany every stage of development.
While using electric scooters might be a convenient method to travel around cities, they can also present several injuries to users and other road users. Cities are still deciding on electric scooter regulations, and riders and non-riders are learning how to share the road properly. Go through the blog to find additional information about the electric scooter accident.
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What is an Electric Scooter?
The electric scooter, often known as an E-Scooter, has become more popular, especially in large cities where they provide an easy and practical way to escape traffic and go swiftly from one place to another.
The newly established $1 billion joint venture between Bird and Lime leads the E-Scooter market. Download the Bird or Lime app on your phone and set up a rider account connected to a credit card if you wish to use a scooter. Once your account is set up, you must choose one of the many nearby E-Scooters, activate it using the phone app, and take off.
When you’re done riding, you switch the scooter off using an app on your phone and leave it in its current location. Your payment card will be debited for the ride’s fee, which is determined by the amount of time and distance.
With scooter-sharing applications and rentable E-Scooters, Bird, Lime, Lyft, Skip, and Spin are reshaping cities. Sadly, this has increased the number of e-scooter dangers.
Information on Electric Scooter Accidents
Are electric scooters dangerous? According to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 people will have an injury for every 100,000 E-Scooter excursions. Other intriguing findings from the same study, which polled a sample of injured E-Scooter users, include the following:
- Ages 18 to 29 made up 48% of the individuals who had injuries.
- First-time riders made up 33% of those who sustained injuries.
- Fewer than 5% of users of electric scooters wore helmets.
- 38% of those who had injuries said they would ride an E-Scooter once more.
- Significant damage was received by nearly half of those who were hurt.
- 80% of deaths on electric scooters included a car.
- Falls account for over 80% of incidents involving electric scooters.
Electric scooter accident statistics:
Health regulators and experts are starting to perform more research on the effects and hazards of electric scooters on public safety because they are still a relatively new method of transportation.
From 2014 to 2018, emergency departments in the U.S. handled over 40,000 cases of fractured bones, brain injuries, scrapes, and bruises from electric scooter accidents. The whole U.S. population’s E-Scooter injury rate increased from 6 per 100,000 to 19 per 100,000.
Electric scooter deaths per year? E-scooters contributed to 68 fatalities during the same time period and had the biggest percentage rise in injuries.
Injuries from Electric Scooter Accidents
Some injuries occur more frequently than others following an E Scooter accident. It might be shocking how severe the electric scooter injuries are.
The dangers of electric scooters can potentially cause traumatic brain damage involving concussion and internal bleeding. In addition to brain damage, the following are frequent injury types brought on by scooter accidents:
- Arm and leg bone fractures
- Upper and lower limb abrasions and lacerations
- Nerve or ligament injuries
- Head injury
- Extensive bleeding
- Spinal cord injury
- Paralysis
In the worst-case scenario, accidents involving scooters may even result in electric scooter deaths.
Dangers of E Scooters and Their Risks
Although E-Scooter incidents are nothing new, the frequency of accidents has increased dramatically since the introduction of shared E-Scooters in the United States. E-Scooter riders who have never operated one are traveling at 15 mph adjacent to cars and may violate the law by not wearing helmets.
Riders may also be in danger due to a significant risk of driving distraction and drivers irritated by the slower-moving E-Scooters. Drivers may tailgate, speed, pass recklessly, make hazardous lane changes, or fail to yield the right-of-way to E-Scooters by following too closely.
An accident involving an E-Scooter and potentially fatal injuries such as broken bones, head or brain traumas, road rash, or neck and back problems might result from risky driving practices.
How Harmful are Electric Scooters?
A recent Consumer Reports study found that at least 1,545 incidents involving electric scooters occurred in a single year. However, because many hospitals still do not track E Scooter accidents, it is thought that this number is significantly underreported.
The absence of rules governing riders’ usage of E-Scooters is one of the most contentious characteristics of these vehicles.
Local governments typically control the traffic regulations regulating unconventional modes of mobility, such as E-Scooters. This implies that a city may mandate that E-Scooter users remain on the sidewalk while another may direct that they stay on the roadway. Innocent people may suffer terrible E-Scooter injuries as a result of the confusion.
Frequently Occurring Electric Scooters Accidents
Even though using an E-Scooter is an easy and affordable way to travel around a city, users don’t always prioritize safety and prudence. Users who engage in any of the following behaviors run the risk of having avoidable electric scooter accidents:
- Break traffic regulations: Users of electric scooters must adhere to traffic regulations like drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. They’ll probably hit someone or anything if they don’t follow the traffic laws.
- Using a phone while driving: E-Scooters are subject to the distracted driving rule. Texting or using a GPS app on a smartphone while driving an electric car is risky. It will be challenging for riders to maintain their focus on the road.
- Improper parking: Because these E-Scooters are not regulated, riders frequently leave them parked in dangerous places. When scooter riders ditch their scooters in the center of the sidewalk or the middle of the road, it can pose a severe risk to pedestrians and drivers.
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What to Do if an E-Scooter Crash Hurts You?
You must seek immediate medical care for all of your injuries. You should also call the police so they can take a report of the accident. Try to acquire as much proof as you can. According to the courts, the plaintiff or injured person has the burden of proof when making a personal injury claim.
The burden of proof is the duty to establish that your assertion is more likely true than false via a majority of the evidence. Every other person involved in the collision should have their contact and insurance information.
You can support your electric scooter accident claim by documenting the accident site, skid marks, pictures of the cars involved, roadside debris, and hospital and repair invoices. You should think about getting in touch with an accomplished e-scooter accident lawyer if you are hurt in a scooter accident or if a scooter rider hits you while you are a pedestrian.
While crucial evidence is still accessible, an E-Scooters accident attorney can check your claim. Your attorney can collect and gather evidence, prepare an e scooter injury compensation claim so it is presented to a court or jury, and preserve relevant information. You might receive significant electric scooter injury compensation for various losses if your attorney wins your electric scooter accident lawsuit.
If your claim is accepted, the compensation you get will be determined by the extent of injury and the anticipated length of your rehabilitation.
Lawsuits Related to Electric Scooter Accidents
The legal results of motorized scooter accidents, whether Bird, Lime, or another brand, will primarily rely on who was responsible and involved. Here are some examples of E-Scooter accident scenarios:
- Car accidents: When a driver turns left, switches lanes, or has a scooter rider in their blind zone, collisions frequently result. Riders not secured by a seat belt, airbags, or car structure often sustain severe injuries.
- The rider loses control: A person may be more likely to crash an E-Scooter if they lack riding expertise or are confronted with specific road difficulties. For instance, when a rider’s scooter becomes trapped in a pothole while on a bike route, they may lose control and smash into other people, objects, or the ground.
- Road faults: A scooter rider may lose control and fall due to a pothole, uneven pavement, or debris. Riders may be at risk due to poor drainage, insufficient street illumination, ice, or problems with signs, traffic lights, construction sites, or maintenance hole covers.
- E-Scooter pedestrian accidents: Scooters go far more quickly than people do. If surprised by a scooter approaching from behind, pedestrians may immediately cross a route or stop abruptly. Therefore, riders are advised to avoid using sidewalks.
- The E-Scooter has a defect: Electric scooters can be unsafe due to defects, just like any other type of vehicle. Brakes that don’t work correctly, overheating batteries, loose handlebars, and malfunctioning software are a few examples of defective scooter parts.
- Abandoned scooters: Scooters can frequently be left anywhere. Riders have parked their scooters on the sidewalk, in front of building entrances, or in front of residents’ and business owners’ doors in various locations, creating trip hazards and sparking controversy.
Who is Liable for E Scooter Accident?
Liability is the legal term denoting ownership of an accident and the losses incurred by victims. To proceed with their legal cases following an E-Scooter accident that results in personal injury, the plaintiffs must identify the defendant. The party or parties that contributed most to the accident will be the defendants.
- Pedestrian: A pedestrian may be held accountable for the injuries sustained by a scooter rider if the pedestrian willfully causes the collision that results in injuries.
- Scooter company: If the E-Scooter malfunctions and causes an accident, such as sudden braking, the manufacturer may be responsible for any faulty parts.
- E-Scooter driver: You could be entitled to electric scooter accident compensation claims if an E-Scooter rider was struck by a vehicle that was either inattentive or distracted. Make a claim with the car insurance provider for the at-fault motorist.
- The city: Potholes or an uneven pavement surface can occasionally be to blame for an E-Scooter accident, leading the user to lose control, fall off, or hit someone or something. The council may be held responsible in this situation.
Compensation for E-Scooter Accident-Related Injuries
After an E-Scooter accident, bringing a civil action aims to hold the responsible person accountable and to obtain compensation for your damages. The amount and kind of injuries you sustain while using E-Scooters will determine the potential payment you get. Every instance is different. The possible damage types are the same for everybody, though.
- Past and future medical costs
- Lost earnings potential or income
- Loss of a regular lifestyle
- Both physical and mental distress
- Property damage
- Punitive damage
Are you injured in scooter accident? If you or a loved one is hurt badly or worse in an electric scooter crash, you need the best lawyer to pursue your e-scooter accident claim and hold those at fault accountable. Most of the time, you have three years from the accident date to file e scooter accident claims. As soon as you can, beginning your claim is usually suggested. This allows you to submit it before the deadline expires and may make it simpler for you to gather certain pieces of proof.
In your situation, there could be an exception—especially if the victim was a child. The exceptions are few, though. Avoid taking a chance. Get in touch with persoanl injury attorneys to protect your entitlement to compensation, even if your injuries have not yet healed.
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To wind up,
Do any of the circumstances mentioned earlier match your accident? Then it could be time to get in touch with knowledgeable electric scooter accident lawyers.
Renters of E-Scooters are frequently well aware of the dangers. E-Scooter riders are sometimes perceived as irresponsible and inconsiderate, especially when they weave in and out of moving automobiles on congested highways.
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1/5 In and around the nation’s major cities, electric scooters have become a well-liked means of transportation.
Electric scooters are convenient, but they can also result in serious injuries.#lezdomedlegal #personalinjury #scooteraccident pic.twitter.com/UtGrt6xlO7— LezDo MedLegal (@LezDoMedLegal) November 1, 2022
