Scooter Accident Lawyer

E-scooters are available to ride all across the country, and many people are finding that these electric scooters are a much more environmentally friendly way to zip around busy urban centers. Not only this, but the convenience of e-scooters (which can be ridden on roadways and don’t require a bulky parking space) are also a factor in their popularity. Predictably, as more and more individuals use e-scooters, the incidence rate of injuries has increased as well.

A 2018 study conducted in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered an injury rate of approximately 1 e-scooter-accident per 5,000 e-scooter trips. Despite this danger, though, additional studies have suggested that riders of e-scooters may not be doing enough to protect themselves from harm.

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lime green scooters lined up on a sidewalk in downtown San Jose, south San Francisco bay area

What the Statistics Say About E-Scooter Injuries

In the Austin study conducted with the CDC’s involvement, of the reported injury incidents about half involved injuries to the rider’s head. Fifteen percent of the injury accidents involved a traumatic brain injury, a serious type of injury that can lead to permanent disability or limitations. Of the 190 people studied who suffered injuries and required treatment at a hospital, only one person was found to have been wearing a helmet while riding an e-scooter. The other 189 individuals chose not to wear a helmet.

In fact, the mobility insurance company Voom, in its own study, found that 80 percent of e-scooter riders do not wear helmets when using the devices. This is true even though four in ten of those surveyed admitted to knowing someone involved in an e-scooter accident (or being involved in one themselves. Over six out of ten admitted to knowing of the potential dangers and risk of harm associated with using e-scooters.

If Knowledge is Not the Issue, What Is?

The Voom study reveals that there is something else – some other force – that is encouraging individuals to use e-scooters without wearing a helmet besides a lack of knowledge. What this outside force is, though, remains a mystery. In other contexts, we humans generally take protective steps after seeing others experience misfortune. For example, we do not answer calls from suspicious numbers because we knew a friend or family member who got swindled that way. We strap our children into approved car seats (and we do so correctly) because we have heard stories and reports about the devastating harm that can befall children who are not placed in such seats.

Whether the precise cause could be millennials’ verdict that helmets are not an appealing accessory or whether because they feel as if they’re invincible and that what happens to others will not happen to them, the risk of serious harm in an e-scooter accident is real and present.

close up of a person's legs on an electric scooter

Why Wear a Helmet On an E-Scooter?

With the sheer volume of traffic on roadways, even in “sleepy” communities, any e-scooter ride could end with tragedy and injury. Wearing a helmet does not prevent an e-scooter accident from occurring, but it can play a tremendous role in limiting the severity of injuries you suffer. A properly fitted helmet made form appropriate materials can help prevent you from suffering a traumatic brain injury or a head injury. The $30 or $40 spent on headgear that can, admittedly, be unfashionable is a much better bargain than missing days or weeks from worth and being saddled with thousands of dollars or more in medical bills and costs.

Everyone can benefit from wearing an appropriate helmet while jumping on a bicycle, scooter, or e-scooter. Even if you consider yourself an adept e-scooter rider, you can’t predict the actions of drivers and even other pedestrians, whose negligent actions may cause a wreck or accident. Prevention is a much more economical and smarter course of action than attempting to put your life back together after an e-scooter accident.

What To Do If You’ve Been Hurt In An E-Scooter Accident

Even when a rider follows all of the rules and wears the proper safety equipment, accidents can still happen. Many of these accidents can result in serious injuries that could negatively impact your life for years. If you’ve been hurt in an e-scooter accident, it’s crucial to protect your rights.

Whether the e-scooter malfunctioned or if a motor vehicle operator is to blame for your injuries, an experienced e-scooter accident lawyer can help you get the best result possible from an injury claim. At The Barnes Firm, our team of e-scooter accident lawyers will comb over your case to find every piece of evidence that can help maximize your claim. Call us today or contact an experienced injury lawyer online for a FREE case evaluation.

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