Are Electric Scooter Accidents Common?

Yes. Micromobility (e-scooters and e-bicycles) accidents doubled every year between 2017 and 2022. Furthermore, according to one study, these victims were much more likely to sustain serious injuries, mostly in their upper extremities.

“The U.S. had a remarkable increase in micromobility injuries during the study period,” said co-lead author Adrian Fernandez, MD, chief resident with the UCSF Department of Urology. “This increase in accidents not only introduced a demographic shift, but also underscores an urgent need for added safety measures. There are undeniable health and environmental benefits to micromobility vehicle use, but structural changes must be taken to promote safe riding.”

“As micromobility vehicles become more embedded in our daily lives, understanding and addressing the safety challenges they pose is critical,” said senior and corresponding author Benjamin N. Breyer, MD, MAS, the Taube Family Distinguished Professor and chair of the UCSF Department of Urology, and a member of the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

“This not only involves adapting our urban landscapes but also fostering a culture of safety among riders,” Breyer said. “By doing so, we can harness the full potential of micromobility to create more sustainable, healthy and safe urban environments.”

Causes of Electric Scooter Accidents

Rider error causes some electric scooter accidents. Usually, anyone with a valid credit card can rent an electric scooter and ride it unsupervised, even if they’ve never ridden such a vehicle before. The good news is that rider error electric scooter wrecks normally aren’t too serious. Most people grip the handles to break their falls.

Driver error-related electric scooter crashes are another matter. Most riders are completely unprotected. They don’t wear helmets or padding. As a result, in a crash, they bear the full force of an oncoming vehicle.

All vehicle operators, whether they’re riding electric scooters or driving cars, have a duty of care. Tortfeasors (negligent drivers) violate their duty of care when they drive:

• Aggressively: Speed is the most common, and most dangerous, kind of aggressive driving. A few extra ticks on the speedometer multiples the risk of a wreck as well as the force in a collision. Other kinds of aggressive driving include turning unsafely and ignoring a traffic control device.
• While Impaired: Reckless speeding increased during the pandemic, mostly because roads empties and traffic enforcement ceased. Drunk driving increased as well, for the same reasons. Alcohol adversely affects motor skills and impairs judgment. Many drugs, both legal and illegal ones, have the same effect. Other kinds of driver impairment include driving while fatigued and while sick.

Poor scooter maintenance also causes many crashes. These vehicles undergo a lot of wear and tear, are parked in the open exposed to the elements, and not inspected very frequently.

Compensation in these matters usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. A San Marcos personal injury lawyer can obtain additional punitive damages in some extreme cases.

Liability Issues

Frequently, these electric scooter accident causes overlap. For example, Felix might be weaving in and out of traffic on his electric scooter when Sally runs a red light and hits him.

In these situations, jurors must divide responsibility on a percentage basis according to the evidence presented. So, the more evidence of Sally’s misconduct a Carlsbad personal injury lawyer presents, the lower Felix’s percentage of fault.

California law is also very victim-friendly in this area. The Golden State is a pure comparative fault state. Even if the victim was 99 percent responsible for a wreck, the tortfeasor is still liable for a proportionate share of damages.

Very few defenses are available in an inadequate maintenance claim. Usually, companies are strictly liable for any injuries their defective products cause.

Connect With a Savvy San Diego County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in San Marcos, contact the Pursley Law Firm. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.

Source:

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