What Causes Electric Scooter Accidents?
Before we answer this question, we should clear up a common myth. Electric scooter and other crashes usually aren’t accidents.
Usually, an “accident” implies that the injury or other incident was unintentional (I accidentally left my keys in the lock and someone broke in the house) or inevitable (I accidentally dropped the ball and it hit the ground). Electric scooter and other motor vehicle collisions are neither unintentional nor inevitable. Drivers intentionally drink before they get behind the wheel, and most car crashes are avoidable.
All vehicle collisions are complex, especially electric scooter accidents. So, only the most experienced Carlsbad personal injury lawyer should handle such matters.
Only the best lawyer can obtain maximum compensation for head injuries, broken bones, and other electric scooter accident injuries. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Driver Error
This category causes over 98 percent of the vehicle collisions in California. The two most common kinds of driver error are:
- Operator Impairment: The chain of events that leads to an electric scooter accident often begins before the tortfeasor (negligent driver) gets behind the wheel. Substance abuse, generally alcohol and/or drug use, is the leading cause of driver impairment. Other driver impairments include driving while distracted, with a serious medical condition, or while fatigued.
- Aggressive Driving: Excessive speed, the most common form of aggressive driving, increases the risk of a wreck and the force in a collision. Drivers who speed don’t have enough time to react to changing situations, like an electric scooter in a crosswalk. Furthermore, speed multiplies the force in a collision, according to Newton’s Second Law. Other kinds of aggressive driving include tailgating and ignoring a traffic control device.
If the driving impairment or aggressive driving breached (violated) the motorist’s duty of care, a San Marcos personal injury lawyer can obtain the aforementioned compensation.
Several negligence defenses are available, including contributory negligence. We mentioned one such situation, an electric scooter rider violating a traffic law, above. Most electric scooter riders aren’t licensed to drive and have basically no experience operating such a vehicle.
Electric scooters are deceptively hard to operate. They’re much faster than bicycles or skateboards, although electric scooters resemble these vehicles.
Defective Product
A design defect, a manufacturing defect, and a maintenance error are the most common kidneys of electric scooter product defects. Usually, manufacturers are strictly liable for the injuries their defective products cause.
These companies emphasize light wieght, sleek design, and ease of operation when they design electric scooters. As a result, the final product is often unstable and difficult for motorists to see. Additionally, electric scooter riders usually have very little control over their vehicles.
A perfectly designed electric scooter isn’t perfectly safe. Many companies use cheap, imported parts, and assemble the bikes in the United States. Most foreign countries don’t have watchdog agencies, like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, that ensure exported parts are safe. Furthermore, components from around the world don’t always work together the way they should.
Finally, the company cannot put electric scooters on the street, offer them for rental, and forget about them. The company has a duty to properly maintain these vehicles. Many companies neglect or ignore this responsibility.
Work With a Diligent San Diego County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in San Marcos, contact the Pursley Law Firm. We routinely handle matters throughout SoCal.
