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What To Do After a Lime/Bird Electric Scooter Accident

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What To Do After a Lime/Bird Electric Scooter Accident

by | Jan 10, 2023 | Motor Vehicle Accidents

What To Do After a Lime/Bird Electric Scooter Accident

Electric scooters are a motorized version of the popular children’s toy. They are typically battery-powered and can travel up to 15 to 25 mph. The electric scooter market has seen tremendous growth in recent years, driven by consumer demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and concerns about the impact of carbon emissions and greenhouse gas on climate change.

Unfortunately, more scooters on the roads have led to an increase in accidents. A recent study found that e-scooter injuries in the U.S. more than doubled between 2014 and 2018. If you have recently been in a Lime scooter accident, it is critical that you seek legal advice from an experienced scooter accident attorney.

What Are Some Problems With Electric Scooters?

Why are scooter accidents causing so many injuries? A study by UCLA found that only 4% of the 249 people treated in UCLA emergency departments for scooter injuries between September 1, 2017, and August 31, 2018, wore helmets.

Additionally, many operators of e-scooters engage in unsafe driving practices, such as riding on sidewalks at speeds that exceed 15 mph. Despite the requirements scooter sharing companies have for riders to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license, many riders do not have a license and are underage.

What Happened in Recent Electric Scooter Accident Cases?

A Bird scooter accident can lead to severe injuries, such as those suffered by a 39-year-old mother of six while riding a Bird e-scooter in Santa Monica, California. She swerved when a toddler ran in front of her scooter on a beachside path. This maneuver caused her to fall forward and resulted in broken bones in her right arm that required a surgeon to insert plates and pins.

E-scooter accidents can also cause fatalities. A Florida man died in a Lime scooter accident after a car struck him while riding an electric scooter on the highway.

Additionally, irresponsible scooter riders can put pedestrians at risk, such as the Westside tech entrepreneur who reported that a Bird rider crashed into her while she was walking on a sidewalk on the UCLA campus with her young son. The force of the impact caused a concussion that kept her out of work for a week.

Unfortunately, many people injured in e-scooter accidents have difficulty getting e-scooter-sharing companies and riders to take responsibility for their damages. This has left many people wondering whether they have an option beyond paying for hundreds or thousands of dollars in damages out of their own pockets.

What Steps Should You Take After a Lime Scooter Accident?

The steps you should take in an electric scooter accident are similar to those after a car accident.

Take Care of Yourself and Others

E-scooter injuries can range from cuts and scrapes to life-threatening injuries, such as the injuries that left a 28-year-old woman in a vegetative state after a car hit her while she was riding a Lime e-scooter. Most of the patients in the UCLA study suffered one of three types of injuries:

  • Head injuries
  • Fractures
  • Sprains, cuts, and bruises without fractures or head injury

Your priority after an e-scooter accident should be to take care of any injured people. Call 911 and render medical aid if necessary.

Call the Police

Any time you are in a Lime scooter accident, it is essential to file a police report. If the police do not respond to the scene of the accident, call or go to the police station and file a report as soon as possible. The police report is valuable documentation you will need when dealing with insurance companies or attempting to prove your case in court.

Stay at the Scene

Do not leave the scene until you have talked to the police, and they give you the OK to go unless you need to leave by ambulance to receive emergency medical care. If a scooter rider or the driver of a motor vehicle struck you, get the driver’s name, driver’s license number, and insurance information.

Get Professional Help From a Scooter Accident Attorney

E-scooter sharing companies are notoriously difficult to deal with, and insurance companies may disagree over who should pay for your damages. You need to get personalized, professional advice from a scooter accident lawyer right away.

Who Is Liable in a Lime Scooter Accident?

Several different parties could be liable for a scooter accident, depending on the circumstances:

  • At-fault rider: If a negligent scooter rider injured you, that rider may be liable for your damages. In some cases, you may be able to file a claim with the rider’s homeowner’s, renter’s, or auto insurance.
  • Scooter company: If worn-out or improperly maintained parts on a scooter you were operating caused your injuries, you may have a claim against the scooter company.
  • Product manufacturer: If your accident happened because of a manufacturing defect or design flaw, you may have a product liability claim against the scooter manufacturer.
  • At-fault motorist: If the negligence of a motor vehicle driver caused your accident, you might be able to recover damages from the driver’s auto insurance or through a lawsuit.
  • At-fault pedestrian: You may be able to file a homeowner’s or renter’s insurance claim against a pedestrian who caused your injuries by walking in front of your scooter.
  • Negligent business: If your accident happened because a business created hazardous conditions through actions such as dumping trash in the roadway, that business may be liable for your injuries.
  • Government entity: The city or other government entity responsible for maintaining the road you were traveling on may be liable for accidents caused by dangerous conditions, such as uneven pavement, potholes, or poor lighting.

What Damages Can You Recover From Lime/Bird Electric Scooter Lawsuits?

People injured in a Lime scooter accident have recovered damages for the following accident-related expenses:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost pay
  • Reduced earning ability due to disability
  • Pain and suffering
  • Property damage
  • Additional expenses

Medical bills include all medical expenses that occur because of accident-related injuries, such as the cost of transportation to a hospital by ambulance, emergency room visits, hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, and prescription medications. Injury victims often must miss work either because their injuries prevent them from working or because they must receive medical care during regular working hours.

The person responsible for the accident may be liable for lost income related to the accident. Additionally, suppose the accident results in a permanent disability that impairs the person’s ability to make a living. In that case, the at-fault party may owe the difference between the income the person would have been able to earn had the accident not happened and their estimated future income after the accident.

Pain and suffering is a term related to compensation for the physical pain the injured person experiences due to their injuries and any emotional trauma related to the accident, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Property damage includes anything the at-fault party damaged in the accident, such as vehicles, clothing, jewelry, or glasses.

Other expenses include bills the injured person had to pay that they would not have if the accident didn’t happen. For example, if an at-fault scooter rider caused damage to someone’s vehicle, the at-fault party may owe that person their cost to rent a vehicle while the damaged vehicle is being repaired.

Contact an Experienced Lime Scooter Accident Lawyer Today

If someone else’s negligence caused your serious injuries in a Lime scooter accident, you should not have to pay for your damages. Get personalized, professional advice from a scooter accident lawyer.