Many people don’t realize that electric scooters can and do cause accidents, injuries, and even deaths. Although reliable statistics are not yet available, widespread reports indicate the incidence of scooter accidents in Dallas, Texas is rapidly increasing with the arrival of electric scooter rentals offered by two major companies, Bird and Lime.
Basically, the more popular electric scooters become due to their convenience and trendiness, the more accidents we are seeing occur due to their unsafe nature. These vehicles are inherently dangerous for a number of reasons including:
If you were injured in a Dallas electric scooter accident, call the Rasansky Law Firm today and schedule your free consultation.
Electric scooter companies such as Lime and Bird have grown in popularity in recent years. Electric scooters are very easy to rent. Riders just install an app on their phones, find a dockless location in their area, and ride the rented e-scooter to their destination.
E-scooter accidents are a common occurrence in Dallas. Another study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 150 electric scooter riders in Dallas were injured during a three-month time period. Roughly half of all e-scooter injuries in Dallas were listed as “severe.”
Just like pedestrians and cyclists, e-scooter riders are exposed and vulnerable. When they get struck by a motor vehicle, the injuries sustained are often very serious. A Dallas electric scooter accident lawyer from Rasansky Law Firm can make sure you understand your rights and all possible legal options so you can successfully recover compensation for your serious injuries.
There are a few noteworthy factors that come into play when evaluating these accidents, such as:
Who Was at Fault for Your E-Scooter Accident?
As with any other personal injury case, the burden of proving negligence rests with the injured person (plaintiff). This means, in order to collect financial compensation for your electric scooter accident, you will have to present evidence that shows that someone else’s negligence caused your accident, whether it was due to another motorist’s actions or a manufacturing issue with the scooter.
For example, if a driver failed to yield the right of way to your electric scooter and hit you while you legally crossed the street, the driver of that vehicle can be held liable for your injuries. If, however, you were operating the electric scooter in an unsafe manner when the accident happened, it will be extremely challenging to prove that you are entitled to financial compensation. The electric scooter accident lawyers at Rasansky Law Firm have investigated thousands of personal injury accidents, and can help you determine whether there is potential for you to make a successful claim.
How Severe Are Your Injuries?
The size of the settlement involved in an electric scooter accident hinges mainly on the degree of your injuries and how much they have impacted and will continue to impact your life. The rule of thumb is the more serious the injury, the greater the damages, and the greater the compensation you can expect to recover. Most e-scooter crash damages include monetary losses, like medical bills, emergency medical care, and lost wages. They could also potentially include quality of life damages, such as pain, suffering, and long-term or permanent disabilities.
What Are the Potential Sources of Recovery?
Recognizing all possible sources of recovery is an essential step in securing the best possible settlement for an electric scooter accident case. Whether through the negligent driver’s assets or their auto insurance policy, your own insurance company, or the e-scooter manufacturer’s insurance company, it is vital to find out if adequate coverage and resources are available to compensate your damages. Figuring this out early on will drastically affect the legal strategy that your scooter accident lawyers will use in your case.
Knowing the answers to these important questions is the best way to ensure you collect maximum recovery after being seriously injured in an e-scooter accident. At Rasansky Law Firm, an electric scooter accident lawyer can explain in greater detail how these factors will influence your electric scooter accident case and what steps you need to take to secure the best possible settlement for your situation.
In Dallas, as in other major cities, electric scooters are strategically placed around the city, making them convenient for anyone to use. They don’t connect to a dock, so the would-be scooter rider can happen across one anytime, make a spur-of-the-moment decision to grab one, sign in with the app, and ride it to their next destination where they simply leave it behind for someone else to use. These scooters are simple to operate, and since so many people prefer them to walking, they have become quite popular. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of people who are inexperienced and without proper training are operating these scooters, and the overwhelming majority of riders do not wear a helmet. This has created a recipe for disaster.
The appearance of electric scooters on Dallas roadway areas has brought with it an increase in e-scooter accident rates. Although e-scooters for rent are too new of a service to have generated any statistical e-scooter accident data, the death toll has begun to climb. Regrettably, Dallas holds the rather dubious distinction of witnessing the very first e-scooter accident death, which took place in 2018. Since then, more and more fatal rental scooter crashes have taken place nationwide.
Most of Dallas’ e-scooter accident injuries are caused by their negligent and reckless use. For instance, scooter rider intoxication is a frequent issue, because e-scooters are commonly used by riders to get from one bar to another. Failing to obey traffic laws, and failing to drive the scooters defensively creates a great deal of risk of injury. Additionally, when a scooter runs over uneven pavement, it can cause its operator to be ejected from it and sustain serious injuries. This creates a hazardous situation for other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians as well.
Electric scooter accidents have been an issue ever since these rental vehicles became a fixture on Dallas streets. Electronic scooters are a favorite mode of transportation among younger, college-aged kids. They are enjoyed by many in the metropolitan areas, such as downtown. The young demographic of their users combined with a densely populated urban environment has resulted in more than a few scooter operators being involved in serious and even fatal accidents.
Several large cities, including Dallas, have started to regulate the operation of rental scooters. One of the first steps they have taken was to disallow their use on sidewalks as a means of improving pedestrian safety. This means that electric scooter riders now have to share the roadway with vehicles that are substantially larger, such as pick-up trucks, SUVs, buses, and even tractor-trailers. And with current regulations failing to compel scooter riders to wear helmets, the risk to riders is increased even more.
Texas, along with several local governments, has enacted regulations that govern the use of e-scooters. The Texas Transportation Code now provides the following laws for the use of electric scooters:
Despite these new laws, there are still a lot of riders who either disregard them or are unaware that they even exist.
There are many causes that contribute to accidents involving electric scooters but here are some of the most common:
If you were injured in a scooter accident in Dallas, call Rasansky Law Firm today to make sure your right to compensation is protected.
Electric motor scooters are not as closely regulated as conventional motor vehicles, but defective scooters are just as capable of producing serious injuries. These crashes have caused a wide range of injuries, including traumatic brain injuries and other head injuries. Some common scooter malfunctions that frequently cause these accidents are:
Potential injuries you could receive from a scooter accident can vary greatly. These injuries can include:
If you have an accident with a motor vehicle, your scooter accident injuries could potentially be much worse and even include death.
Scooter rental is new in Dallas, but we’re already seeing electric scooter injuries happening in accidents on our streets. The potential for serious injury is high in a scooter collision primarily due to the lack of bodily protection. If an accident is caused due to the negligence of the other party, you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries through filing a personal injury claim.
In the case of a fatal accident, Texas wrongful death law allows specific family members of the deceased to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Damages can include compensation for:
It is crucial to understand Texas’ rule of modified comparative negligence since it frequently comes up in scooter accidents. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your accident, more than one person might share liability, such as:
Texas law states that multiple parties can share liability. Liability is assigned to each individual based on their percentage of fault for the accident. According to the rules of modified comparative negligence, you will be prohibited from recovering any compensation whatsoever if you are more than 50% at fault. Barring that, your damages will be reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to you.
For instance, if you are found to be 25% at fault for your scooter collision, then your overall compensation will be lowered by 25%.
There are at least three scooter rental companies currently operating in Dallas, making e-scooters readily available to the public: Goat, Bird, and Lime. All three use very similar scooters that are manufactured by Segway. Furthermore, their operating instructions and user agreements are all nearly identical, using almost the exact same language, and they all include waivers of liability.
This is hardly unexpected since liability waivers are everywhere. At amusement parks, concerts, and even when you park your vehicle in a parking garage, your ticket usually includes a waiver for theft and damages. Whether or not these waivers are enforceable by these scooter companies depends a great deal on the events leading up to the accident and the injury or damages it caused.
If you can prove that someone else’s negligence was the cause of your injury, you are entitled to file a lawsuit against them in an effort to recover your medical bills and other damages. In some cases, this is true even if you signed a waiver. For example, let’s say you decide to use a scooter rental company. You install their app onto your phone and rent a scooter. While you are riding along the city streets, the car in front of you suddenly slams on its brakes. You hit the scooter brakes as hard as you can but crash into the back of the car anyway. A Dallas electric scooter accident lawyer may be able to help you successfully sue the scooter company if you are able to prove that the scooter was not properly maintained, causing the brakes to be unreliable in an emergency situation.
Your lawsuit might also be successful if the operating instructions supplied by the manufacturer were inadequate for preventing the collision. The Dallas e-scooter accident attorneys at Rasansky Law Firm can help you evaluate your rights if you have been injured due to manufacturer or driver negligence.
The three companies previously mentioned that rent out scooters in Dallas are registered and located in other states outside of Texas. This means that determining liability for an injury accident is going to be an arduous and challenging process. In addition to pinpointing the person or company liable for the accident, a complete investigation of the accident must be completed. Having an attorney to take care of this for you will greatly improve your chances of a successful outcome.
It is important for anyone injured in a Goat scooter accident, Bird scooter accident, or Lime scooter accident to find out what insurance coverage might apply to their situation. This task can be quite an undertaking for someone who has no previous experience in doing so, which is just one of the reasons an attorney is advantageous in such situations.
The knowledge and experience of an electric scooter accident lawyer in Dallas can help you with all of this. They know how to fight back against the scooter company’s insurance providers who will do anything they can to avoid as much liability as possible.
The Dallas vehicle accident attorneys at Rasansky Law Firm know what it takes to hold the negligent party fully accountable for your injuries and ensure you receive the full amount of compensation that you deserve.
Every case is unique. Our dedicated trial attorneys will thoroughly review your individual claim in order to accurately assess its value.
Some of the most important factors involved in determining how much your case is truly worth are:
Generally, the first thing you do is file a claim with the insurance carrier to pursue financial compensation. The insurer will most likely attempt to diminish the severity of your injuries and other damages. Our attorneys can help you put together a solid case that will show the insurance carrier that you are serious and intend to fight for everything you are owed by law.
If you want to learn more about the value of your potential claim, call our Dallas law offices to schedule a free case review today.
The amount of money you are awarded in a personal injury suit can have a major impact on your physical recovery. Texas personal injury laws state that accident victims are eligible to pursue financial compensation for both economic and non-economic damages.
Examples of damages that could be available include:
Our Dallas attorneys can help build your case to prove that you sustained these damages. Call us today to learn more.
There is never a good time to be injured. When you are hurt, you are often forced to take time off of work, which is the worst time ever to do so since you desperately need extra money to pay for your hospital bills. An experienced personal injury lawyer in Dallas, TX can assess your situation and advise you on the best way to move forward.
At Rasansky Law Firm, we have helped thousands of clients recover full and fair financial compensation after a negligence-based accident. We know Texas’ personal injury laws and, with our guidance, you will be in the best position possible to collect compensation from the person or company responsible for your injuries.
Signing with us means that you will be working with a legal team that is prepared to:
Personal injury claims are complex, and even more so when they involve an electric scooter accident. You need a skilled Dallas personal injury attorney on your side. Get started by scheduling your free consultation today.
The same legal theories that are involved in a standard auto accident case also apply to scooter accident claims. All personal injury cases establish liability based on the concept of negligence. Simply put, one person was injured because another person failed to show due care under the circumstances.
In order to show that negligence existed, you will have to establish that:
Texas law gives those injured in electric scooter accidents two years to file a personal injury lawsuit with the appropriate court. This deadline is known as the statute of limitations and it varies from state to state. After the statute of limitations lapses, your case will be thrown out of court and you will lose your right to seek financial compensation for your injuries. A qualified Dallas personal injury attorney can make sure that you do not miss any of the necessary filing deadlines and lose your right to recovery.
If you contact Rasansky Law Firm for your free consultation, our attorneys will make sure that you fully understand your rights and legal options, including showing you how the decisions you make today could drastically affect the results of your case.
You will get sound legal advice even if you do not have a case or choose not to move forward at this time. If we do take on your case, you do not pay us anything unless we win your case against the negligent person or company, whether it’s the e-scooter manufacturer, the e-scooter company, another driver, or all three at once.
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