Two-wheel electric bird scooters are all rage throughout the US, and this is especially true in several areas of Southern California. At least two cities in Southern California have had some serious issues with accidents related to people riding these two-wheel electric scooters. Electric scooters like these are popping up across the country thanks to a startup company called Bird Scooter.
What are Bird Electric Scooters?
Bird Scooter is a startup company that was launched in Santa Monica, Ca. in 2017. The company was created as a short-term electric scooter sharing company. They provided numerous two-wheel electric scooters (commonly referred to as Bird Electric Scooters) in different cities throughout the country. The Bird Scooter system works via a smartphone app that is downloaded to your phone and you pay the initial “unlock fee” of $1 and $.15 per minute for each ride.
Potential Legal Issues with Bird Electric Scooters
While the Bird Company may have thought it was a good business idea and many people agreed. However, on the legal side, accident attorney’s saw it a bit differently and saw the potential downsides. The biggest issue centered around the many different types of personal injuries resulting from negligence.
There are several points to consider to any personal injury accident involving the Bird Electric Scooter.
Rider at fault accident – This happens if scooter riders strike a pedestrian or cause another motor vehicle to get into an accident due to the scooter operators’ negligence. This can result in a serious injury accident and potential litigation against the rider. In certain instances, Bird Scooter may also be held liable for injuries resulting from an accident.
Scooter company at fault accident – If an accident-causing personal injury is determined to be caused by a malfunction of the Bird Electric Scooter, the company could be held liable for damages. The caveat to this is that Bird requires its riders to sign a waiver before using the app. This waiver may curtail potential liability for injuries sustained while riding a Bird scooter.
A car is at fault for hitting scooter accident – If the accident involving another motor vehicle that was found to be negligent, then the vehicle operator would be liable for all of the scooter rider’s injuries.
Pedestrian at fault for causing scooter accident – In the event that a pedestrian acted in a negligent manner and caused an accident that resulted in an injury to a rider of an electric scooter, then the pedestrian could be liable for the injuries.
Business at fault for causing scooter accident – If there are any conditions on the property of any business and it is determined that it was the contributing factor for the accident that caused the injury, the business could be liable for the injury.
City at Fault for causing scooter accident – If there was a pothole or any other defect in the road and it caused an accident involving the electric scooter, then the city could be held liable.
Laws that apply to Electric Scooters
Since most motor vehicle laws vary from state to state you would have consulted the rules regulating the riding of any two-wheel electric scooters. For example, in California, the following rules apply to all two-wheel electric scooters:
- Wearing a helmet (both adults and children)
- Have a valid driver’s license or instruction permit
- No passengers on a scooter at any time
- No carrying of objects that would prevent at least one hand to be on the handlebar
- No holding onto another moving vehicle while operating the scooter
Contact our Pomona personal injury attorneys today to get the help you need.
