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Scooter Accident

Electric scooter accidents are side effect of e scooters since the flocks came to town beginning in 2018. If you or someone you love was injured while riding an e scooter or by an e scooter rider, you may be looking for answers.

 

Study Shows 80% of Fatal E-Scooter Crashes Involve Cars

 

May 13, 2021
According to analysis of all fatal e-scooter crashes, 80% were hit by drivers of cars. For the purposes of the study, E scooters are publicly available to rent. They have been marketed widely as a fun new way to get around core urban areas of major cities, and are an energy efficient mode of transportation.

The study collected and analyzed data from 30 traffic fatalities involving e-scooters in the United States since 2018.

During Coronavirus Austin Scooter Rides Saw Decline

Several scooter companies have pulled their vehicles from the sidewalks of Austin.

After the SXSW cancellation, the year-over-year comparison of scooter rides declined significantly compared to previous years. Companies reportedly saw a 96% decrease in trips between March 2019 and March 2020.

E-scooter companies either removed their fleets or reduced them in response to the stay-at-home orders in Austin and Travis county.

Essential workers have been reduced during the city wide response to Covid-19. With traffic down, companies are still making promises about their commitment to safety.

Bird
Increasing the daily frequency with which we clean and sanitize our vehicles in the field, including the sterilization of our helmets
Increasing the frequency of our deep-clean “Bird Baths” that take place in our local service centers
Providing extra gloves for our field service staff members as well as hand sanitizer for all Bird staff
Closely monitoring the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other trusted federal and global agencies to inform our hour-by-hour decisions
Lime
We have enhanced our cleaning methods and increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting our scooters.
In our offices and warehouses, we are distributing hand sanitizer. All of our mechanics and operators in the field are required to wear gloves and wash their hands regularly.
We’re following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), federal agencies, and other global health organizations to collect the most up-to-the-minute information to ensure the actions we’re taking are comprehensive and expedient. Based on this information, we will decide to continue, pause, or suspend operations in certain markets.
Just as you should wipe down public and shared surfaces with disinfectant, we encourage you to do the same before riding a scooter or bike.
You could also consider wearing gloves as a precaution as well as washing your hands before and after riding.
Lyft
“Our associates are frequently disinfecting all high contact surfaces on bikes and scooters. They do this every time vans are used to transport vehicles, bikes arrive at our depot, or scooters are docked for recharging, and they wear gloves when handling anything in the depot or at valets. We’re recommending that our associates also wear a cloth face covering, and we’re distributing those wherever we can.”
Spin
Every time a scooter enters the warehouse or is collected from the street, the upper mast and handlebars are disinfected. When out in the field, our team is required to disinfect any scooter they come in contact with.
Could electric scooter claims be the biggest new practice area for personal injury lawyers? Read about how the city is reacting to changes made by the new flock of electric scooters in urban Austin areas.
Reach out to us for a case evaluation for answers to many of these questions. We’ll help you understand your options for no fee. If you do decide to sign with our law firm for your case, we will do everything that we can to make sure that you secure a full recovery.

5 Reasons to Hire a Lawyer after a Scooter Accident

If a personal injury attorney takes on your case, they have made the commitment to serve you throughout. Unlike an insurance adjuster, who will want to settle the case for as little compensation as possible, an attorney only represents you and your interests.
We don’t get paid unless you do. Because personal injury lawyers don’t make any money unless you receive compensation, it’s always in their best interest to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Our legal staff is incredibly thorough. After a scooter accident, there may be many unknowns. With this new area of personal injury law, we will fight for the compensation you deserve.
We will take on the paperwork and stress of dealing with the insurance companies. You can focus on recovery.
Where there isn’t a lot of precedent of settling scooter accident cases, an attorney will likely be able to secure a larger settlement than if an individual went it alone.
Compassionate attorneys at McMinn Law Firm work with every client to understand their individual needs. We are determined and aggressive when negotiating with insurance companies. If necessary, we are prepared to take the case to court. Call us at 512-474-0222 or chat with us on the website.

austin electric scooters graphic

Answers to Common Scooter Accident Questions: Personal Injury Q&A


Scooters only became a part of the Austin landscape in 2018. It’s safe to say that it has created another unknown danger as the scooters weave in and out of traffic on sidewalks. Or that drivers who aren’t used to operating a vehicle downtown or in urban areas don’t look for them when making turns.

What isn’t safe is the potential for injury on scooters in Austin. Already we have received inquiries from scooter riders who have been injured at the hands of negligent drivers. And we’ve seen on the news stories about drivers who have had property damage from a scooter rider who fled the scene.


It’s our job as attorneys to help our clients sort through injury claims from scooter accident cases. The answers to every case are not always clear. Here are some of the most common questions related to scooter accident law.

What is a Personal Injury Dockless Scooter Accident?

Riders, pedestrians, or drivers are all impacted by scooters. A personal injury scooter claim could be made by a rider hit by a vehicle, a pedestrian struck by a scooter, or a bicyclist who was hit by a scooter.

A scooter rider is expected to wear a helmet, be over the age of 18, to never operate while impaired by drugs or alcohol, among other rules.

An improperly parked scooter could cause hazards to pedestrians, but a scooter operated on sidewalks could be a serious danger to those on the sidewalk. Auto operators may not yet be used to looking for scooters on busy city streets. And then, even when everyone follows the rules, there have been situations in which possible scooter malfunctions caused riders serious injury.

Pedestrian Crash or Bicycle Injury
Scooters are intended to ride on bike lanes. They can often travel at speeds of 15 mph, faster than many bicyclists and a dangerous rate of speed when next to pedestrians.

A class action lawsuit has been named (Oct 20) against two scooter companies for “gross negligence” and “abetting assault.” In the California lawsuit, Bird and Lime must answer to claims made by pedestrians that scooter riders caused them injuries such as broken wrists, toes, fingers, torn ligaments, face lacerations, and damaged teeth.

Two of the plaintiffs were injured by tripping over scooters left in right of way. Another plaintiff said that scooters were parked in a way that blocked access to disabled parking spaces.

City Officials Address Safety Concerns of Pedestrians

In the interest of the safety of pedestrians, dockless scooters in Austin are required to be parked out of traffic. In April, city officials released a set of rules that state that dockless scooters must have lock-to technology. This would require that the scooter be capable of being locked to a bike rack or be equipped with technology that shows whether scooters are parked in a designated, geo-fenced parking area.

These requirements were created out of caution for pedestrians – especially the elderly, blind, or those with disabilities who would not be able to move the vehicles safely or see the scooters in their path. The city outlined that these capabilities are required of scooter companies by August 1 2018 if they want to operate in the Austin area.

Scooter malfunction:
On August 6, 2018 reports indicated that a woman in South Austin sustained serious injuries when she tumbled over the front of the scooter.

A personal injury attorney across the country says that calls have been made to her law firm in single-rider accidents in which the brakes locked or the rider lost control of the e scooter. A rider could experience malfunctioning tires, encounter road hazards.

Both Lime and Bird have began requiring riders to wear helmets. Lime has limited its own liability to $100, but that doesn’t rule out claims for gross negligence.

In the city of Austin, electric scooter companies are required to have insurance of at least $500,000 for bodily injury or property damage. The insurance must list the city as an additional insured party.

Car Crash and Dockless Scooter Accident

In the event of a car and electric scooter accident, it will be important to establish fault in the case. Was the accident caused because of reckless driving of the car or reckless riding of the scooter? Scooter riders who are injured at the hands of a driver will be able to make a claim with the drivers insurance company if they carry insurance. According to city policy, the scooter company should carry $500,000 insurance policy for bodily injury or property damage.

In September of 2018, a 20-year-old man was killed on a Lime scooter in Washington D.C. when he was dragged about 20 yards by an SUV. Sources indicate that this was the first fatality to occur involving an e-scooter.

In the event of an accident, a scooter accident lawyer will be able to assist victims facing injury to sort out the best options.

What’s likely to result in litigation? (and what isn’t?)
At this time it’s hard to tell which cases will result in litigation. Unfortunately for those that are injured, litigation is more likely when there is a clear insurance policy that covers the at-fault. That’s why experts say that claims are more likely to result in litigation include those in which a driver injures a scooter rider (who was riding legally.) These cases will likely have one or more insurance policy that could cover injuries.

Most rental agreements for e scooters make it clear that the rider is responsible for personal injury damages. It’s possible you could fall back on an auto insurance policy, but it is not something you should count on. The best thing to do before an accident – is call your insurance company and see if they will cover personal injury damages in a scooter crash.

Only time, and more scooter rides will tell. In the future insurance companies may begin offering e scooter injury protection. Let us know on our Facebook page if you have predictions for what’s next in scooter accident cases.

What happens if an electric scooter hits a car?
Other claims may include those in which a pedestrian gets hit by a scooter. However those claims could be limited because it’s possible that a scooter will zoom off, or have limited resources for the injured pedestrian to draw from in a lawsuit.

Unfortunately, so far when scooters hit vehicles, the driver of the vehicle has had to pay for their own car repairs. Statesman reported that an Austinite filed claims in small claims court after a scooter rider caused about $1500 in damages to his vehicle. Lime, the electric scooter company used by the rider, said that they were not liable for what happens while the scooter is being operated.

In Austin, someone who flees the scene of the accident can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor for less than $200 of damage, and a Class B misdemeanor for more than $200 in damage. If someone is injured and the driver or rider flees, the offense is punishable up to two to 10 years in jail.

What Laws Exist Around Electric Scooters?

New laws established by city council may help drivers in unfortunate situations. In April, city council approved an ordinance that makes it illegal to leave scooters on walkways, streets, or alleys.

It also outlines a licensing process required for electric scooter companies operating in Austin. Those companies that aren’t licensed could have the vehicles impounded, and recovered again for $200 each.

Additional proposed regulations in Austin include:

Require dockless bike and scooter companies to enable technology that prevents parking scooters in sidewalks using “lock-to” technology.
Reporting requirements: Data that shows usage of each bike at least two times per day.
Insurance requirements for the vehicles, including $500,000 for bodily injury or property damage.
E scooter Laws for Consumers
It could be difficult to file a case with a sharable scooter company. Laws and insurance policies haven’t kept up with the innovation or how quickly it’s spread across cities. Most sharable scooter companies have policies that place all liability in the hands of the user. That could prohibit many users from being able to file a claim with an e-scooter company.

Hiring a lawyer in case of injury will put your claim in the hands of a professional experienced in negotiations with insurance companies. If you do plan to file a claim consult a lawyer for advice.

Should I hire a lawyer to handle my case? How much will it cost?

Talking to an attorney about your potential case is one of the first things to do after getting medical treatment. It won’t cost anything to meet with a lawyer to see if they may take your case.

Especially in e scooter cases, in which proving coverage can be tricky, hiring a lawyer is important for negotiating with insurance companies. Unfortunately, because scooters are such a new form of transportation there may be no coverage in the event of a scooter accident.

Recent Personal Injury Case Results

The McMinn Law Firm has helped injured Austinites for fifteen years, winning over 100 million dollars in settlements to date.

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$350,000

Drunk Driver Accident

$1,300,000

Truck Accident Victim

$1,200,000

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Better Business Bureau (BBB) bases its ratings on information provided by the business, and on public data sources. McMinn Law Firm's A+ rating is the highest available.
In the years 2013-2014 and 2016-2019, Justin McMinn has been selected each year as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters service. Jason McMinn has been selected as a Super Lawyer in 2020.
Expertise.com, a company that evaluates and recommends local service professionals, placed McMinn Law Firm on their list of 20 recommended car accident attorneys in Austin.

What Past Clients Are Saying

"Jason, Justin, and their entire support team represented me in an accident involving an 18 wheeler. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, and maybe as importantly, the service along the way was something you would want as a client, their entire team was amazing! I can with great confidence recommend them to friends, family, and to anyone who happens to read this. Thank you McMinn Law Firm for a job well done!"

- Charles

"The McMinns were amazing. Within two days of my accident – and still barely able to move – I received a visit to my house for personal consultation (on a Saturday). All the initial feedback about my potential case turned out to be 100% accurate, and when it finally came time to settle they didn’t back off an inch. …If you’re hurt, make the call."

- Harry

"I was rear ended by a large truck. Am thankful for Justin and Jason and their team and all the hard work they put into resolving my case! I highly recommend that you contact them if you’re injured in a wreck!"

- Lori M.

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