E-scooters have become extremely popular in California, and both residents and visitors to the state routinely rent electric scooters for recreation and transportation. The scooters create a lot of revenue for their respective companies. The most popular rental scooters apps in California are Lime Bird, and Uber.
Yet scooters can also be extremely dangerous, and they can be involved in single-vehicle crashes and devastating collisions with motor vehicles. Electric scooters are motorized, and they have two wheels. While California state law limits the speed at which e-scooters can travel, these motorized devices can often reach significantly higher speeds, which can result in severe crashes. If you or somebody you love got hurt in a scooter accident, it is important to seek help from one of our California scooter accident lawyers. You may be eligible to file a claim for financial compensation.
Getting the Facts About Scooter Accidents in California
How often do scooter accidents happen, and what are the most common types of injuries that occur in these crashes? The following facts and figures come from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):
- Between 2017 and 2020, more than 190,000 people visited emergency departments due to injuries from electric scooters;
- Emergency department visits increased by 70 percent from 2017 to 2020, as e-scooters became more popular and more widely used;
- Scooter injuries most often affect a person’s arms, legs, head, and neck;
- Between 2017 and 2020, the CPSC identified 71 fatalities linked to “micromobility products,” including e-scooters;
- Approximately 3 out of every 5 e-scooter riders who suffers an injury in an accident gets hurt on a sidewalk, including in places where riding on the sidewalk is prohibited;
- About 1 out of every 5 e-scooter injuries occurs in a bicycle lane or off-road location;
- Collisions with automobiles account for more than 1 out of every 8 e-scooter collisions, while about 40 percent of collisions involve an e-scooter and a bicyclist; and
- Around 60 percent of e-scooter injuries are minor, while almost 10 percent of e-scooter injuries are severe enough to require hospitalization.
Electric Scooter Laws in Los Angeles, California
California has a number of electric scooter laws, such as:
- Anyone under the age of 18 must wear a helmet;
- E-scooters have a maximum speed limit of 15 miles per hour;
- E-scooters can only be ridden in bike lanes;
- No riding on sidewalks or in crosswalks; and
- E-scooter must follow motor vehicle traffic laws.
Comparative Fault and Your Los Angeles Scooter Accident Claim
Can you still recover damages if another party caused the e-scooter accident but you were also partially to blame? California follows a pure comparative fault model, which means you can recover damages even if you are partially to blame, as long as the defendant still bears some liability. However, your damages award will be reduced by your percentage of fault. The apps require you to consent to a long and complicated user agreement which can waive some of your rights. The user agreement also requires that you wear a helmet while riding the scooter. As a practical matter, no one uses a helmet because the helmets are not easily available.
Contact a Los Angeles Scooter Accident Attorney
Were you injured in an e-scooter accident? It may be possible to file a lawsuit against the party responsible for the collision or to consider a product liability lawsuit against the e-scooter company. One of our experienced scooter accident lawyers in Los Angeles can help. Contact El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers to learn more.