Top Injuries Caused by Electric Scooters

What Are the Risks Involved in an Electric Scooter Accident?

We live in a fast-paced and ever-changing world. Every day, some new innovation brings us a little closer together. But these changes also present unique challenges. Electric scooters are a great example of this phenomenon. All across America, e-scooters have been conveniently placed and made available to the public to help people get around crowded metropolitan areas.

In Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, the electric scooter has become ubiquitous. But so, too, have lawsuits related to injuries resulting from serious accidents involving these electric scooters. If you are an e-scooter rider or drive where they are prominent, here’s what you need to know:

Safety Recommendations

Electric scooters are a fun and convenient way to travel around, especially in urban areas. However, they also come with risks, and accidents leading to serious injuries have increased sharply in recent years. Those resulting in emergency room visits have spiked in the United States in the last couple of years, with bone fractures, head injuries, and other trauma being typical. 

The crashes often involve single-vehicle incidents, such as falls due to poor road conditions, loss of control, or operator error, and some result from collisions with cars or pedestrians. According to information from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the good news is that by following safety recommendations, you can avoid preventable injuries:  

Wear a Helmet

The most crucial step to keep yourself safe, by far, is wearing a helmet every time you operate an e-scooter. According to many recent studies, operators suffering the most severe injuries were not wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. Wearing a Department of Transportation-certified helmet, which fits properly, covering most of your skull, substantially reduces the risk of head injuries. 

Even a quick ride up the street can result in severe brain trauma if you do not protect your head. Wearing additional protective gear is also suggested. That includes knee and elbow pads to protect your joints from damage during falls, gloves to prevent road rash, and closed-toe shoes to protect your feet. Wearing bright, reflective clothing, particularly at night, is also crucial to ensure drivers see you, as scooters are smaller and easily missed, especially when riding in blind spots.

Maintain and Inspect Often

Maintain your scooter as suggested by the manufacturer and do quick pre-ride inspections before each trip to prevent mechanical failures. Test the brakes, stopping distance, and tires, including tread and pressure, and make sure there is no damage. Other essential things to check include the lights, reflectors, handlebars, throttle, frame, and horn. If anything feels off, do not ride until it is serviced and repaired.  

Avoid Distractions and Follow the Traffic Laws

Distractions are the most typical cause of accidents of all types and a significant public health concern. Never use your cell phone while operating a scooter, and stay fully alert and prepared to act if necessary. Obey all traffic signals, signs, and speed limits, and use a bike lane when available. Try to ride predictably at all times, avoid sudden maneuvers, and use turn signals. During the consultation, our knowledgeable attorney can answer your specific questions about typical injuries caused by electric scooters.

Common Causes of Scooter Accidents

The most common causes of e-scooter accidents and injuries include the following:

• Falls account for a vast majority of accidents and injuries, occurring after the operator loses balance, often because of sudden throttle input or overcorrection
• Poor road or infrastructure conditions, such as potholes, uneven pavement, cracks, curbs, or wet and slippery surfaces from inclement weather
• Operator inexperience or errors, such as reckless actions, speeding, riding one-handed, or poor technique, such as not anticipating bumps or hazards
• Distractions, such as talking on your cell phone or texting or wearing headphones, can lead to poor visibility, missing hazards, or failing to hear horns or emergency vehicles

Collisions with other vehicles are relatively rare, but often much more severe or fatal. You can help keep yourself safe and prevent common injuries from electric scooters by staying mindful of safety and avoiding common hazards.

Injuries Resulting From Scooters on Curb Accidents

The most frequent cause of injury for those using an electric scooter does not necessarily involve another person. Many cities and states are scrambling to regulate this new industry for just this reason; the most frequent cause of scooter accidents is the scooters themselves. Unwieldy and poorly designed, many electric scooters have trouble navigating the cracked concrete sidewalks typical to our downtown areas.

Many lawsuits have been initiated by people who’ve been severely injured because their scooter failed in some way that caused the rider to fall. An intense fall can cause serious injuries, requiring significant medical attention and sometimes even an extended leave of absence from work. These are cognizable damages that should be compensated by the at-fault party.

Injuries Resulting From Scooter-on-Pedestrian Accidents

Often, though, the plaintiff in a scooter-injury case isn’t even the rider of the scooter themselves. Because electric scooters allow tourists and others to zip around heavily populated pedestrian areas, the second most frequent type of scooter accident occurs when a person operates their scooter poorly and rides into a person on foot. This sort of accident causes the pedestrian to endure a serious impact and fall, again leading to necessary and extensive medical care and time off work.

Injuries Resulting From Scooter-on-Vehicle Accidents

The third most common e-scooter accident is also the worst. Scooter operators who are struck by vehicles tend to have the most severe injuries requiring significant financial resources to remedy. Often, though, the at-fault party isn’t even the driver of the vehicle. Because scooters can be unreliable, some operators fall due to no fault of their own but are forced into the path of an oncoming car, truck, or bus. In these instances, the city or scooter-owner may be at fault.

Hundreds of plaintiffs can tell you that an injury caused by an electric scooter is just as medically serious and financially detrimental as any other traumatic injury. If you’ve suffered harm because of an accident involving an electric scooter, contact LNN at (213) 232-4848 today to learn your rights when it comes to these sorts of accidents.