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With the rise in popularity of rentable electric scooters, there has been a sharp uptick in the number of e-scooter accidents on the streets of St. Louis and elsewhere across the United States. Get the facts on common causes of electric scooter accidents so you know how to protect yourself on the road.
Operator Inexperience and Scooter Malfunction
Two main factors come into play when it comes to electric scooter accidents: inexperience on the part of the scooter rider and scooter malfunction. In a recent report published by Consumer Reports, it was discovered that at least eight people in the United States died while using a rentable scooter from the fall of 2017 to the summer of 2019.
Below are the details from a few of these fatal accidents:
In March 2019, a 53-year-old man in San Diego riding an electric scooter without a helmet died when he lost control of his scooter and crashed into a tree.
In April 2019, a five-year-old boy riding with his mother in Tulsa, OK died when he fell off the scooter and hit a vehicle.
In May 2019, a 20-year-old in Atlanta died after being hit while riding an electric scooter after midnight.
In May 2019, a 26-year-old man on an electric scooter died after he was hit by an SUV.
It’s clear that operator inexperience and a general lack of safety surrounding the scooters have contributed to an uptick in dangerous accidents. Electric scooter companies including Bird and Lime have not done much to show they make safety a top priority. In fact, Bird representatives have been urging city officials to make it legal for people to ride their scooters without helmets in an effort to further promote the convenience of their platform.
If you have been injured in an electric scooter accident as a rider or as a pedestrian, our St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth are here to help. It can be difficult to determine which party is liable in this type of accident, as many city and state legislatures have not passed regulations surrounding them yet. Our team of dedicated attorneys can sort through it all while you focus on recovering from your injuries.
Contact us today at (800) 391-4318 to schedule a free case review.