Were you riding an electric scooter when you were hurt in an accident? Or, were you hit by someone on an electric scooter and suffered an injury? If so, then it’s entirely possible that you have a case. Belal Hamideh, an experienced electric scooter accident attorney for all of California, can help you to recover the compensation you deserve for everything that you’ve been through.
Belal offers free case evaluation. At that time, Belal will draw upon his years of experience, letting you know what your case is worth. From there, he and the rest of the team will fight tirelessly for you to receive maximum compensation. Hablamos Espanol
Are Electric Scooters Dangerous?
Like any other vehicle, tool, or product, electric scooters have to be used properly and conscientiously. Safety must always be paramount.
E-scooters, electric scooters, no matter what they’re referred to as, can be a convenient, easy way to get around. However, they can also be dangerous. Electric scooters can get up to 15 miles an hour, which may not sound like much compared to a car, however, when you’re on an electric scooter, you have essentially no protection.
Unfortunately, the number of electric scooter accidents continues to rise. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), “there were more than 190,000 emergency room (ED) visits due to all micromobility (e-scooter) products from 2017-2020.”
Moreover, that is a “steady 70% increase.” Additionally, the CPSC found that “injuries happened most frequently to upper and lower limbs, as well as the head and the neck.”
If you were injured in an accident involving an electric scooter, it’s in your best interests to reach out to Belal for a free case evaluation. Worst case scenario: he tells you that he does not think you have a case. However, many who weren’t sure if they had a personal injury case met with Belal only to find that they had a strong and compelling one. As it’s no-cost, you have nothing to lose.
How Do I Know If I Have an Electric Scooter Accident Case?
When you’re on the road, whether you’re on an electric scooter, in a vehicle, or on foot, others have a “duty of care” to you. That means they have a legal obligation to use reasonable care to avoid injuring you. If they breach that duty, leading to your injury, then you very well could have a case.
As an experienced electric scooter accident lawyer team, we have a proven track record of showing how our clients were owed a duty of care by the defendant which the defendant breached. Moreover, we can then show how that breach led to our client’s injuries.
On top of that, we can then prove that you suffered damages as a result of this injury, thus deserving compensation.
Again, if you believe that there’s any possibility another party acted negligently in leading to your injury, then it’s worth it to reach out to Belal for a case evaluation.
What Should I Do If I’m In an Electric Scooter Accident?
First, remove yourself from potential further harm. Move out of the road, away from the ledge, far from a fire or other hazard, and so forth. Check yourself for injuries. Do so for other parties.
Call 911. Hopefully, neither you nor any other party suffered injuries. However, some of the worst injuries may not make themselves known for some time. They could be internal, you could be in shock, and so forth. Thus, it’s important to get medical attention as soon as possible after an accident.
Give the police a statement. Only repeat the facts. Do not embellish or editorialize what happened. The police will create a police report. Belal and the team can use that for your potential case.
Collect evidence. Do so to the extent that you can without putting yourself at risk of harm. Take pictures and video of the accident, the scooters, damage anywhere in the vicinity, your injuries, the injuries of others, and so forth. If in doubt about something, document it.
Talk to the other party involved. Do so whether they’re a driver, pedestrian, scooter driver, and so forth. Get their name, license number, address, telephone number, insurance number, etc. Be polite but do not admit fault.
If there are witnesses, collect their contact information, too.
Once you have done all of the above, then contact Belal for a free case evaluation.
What Kind of Compensation Can I Receive for My Electric Scooter Accident?
If you’re injured in an accident involving an electric scooter in California, you could recover both economic as well as non-economic compensation.
Electric scooter accidents can, unfortunately, lead to serious injuries. These injuries may require professional medical treatment, such as medications, rehab, therapy, frequent doctor’s visits, and more. You can recover economic damages from your accident to cover all of your medical bills.
In the wake of a scooter accident, you may very well have to miss time from work. In some cases, you may not be able to return to your job in the same capacity or to return to your job at all. Belal and the team can help you to recover the lost wages you would have made.
Additionally, we can fight to get you compensation for wages you lost you would have made had you been able to continue working into the future.
An accident involving an electric scooter can lead to pain and suffering, causing you to lose enjoyment of life, things you loved. It could even cause you to lose consortium and more. We can also do everything in our power to make sure you receive these “non-economic” damages as well for all that you’ve had to deal with.
When you sit with Belal during a free case evaluation, he’ll draw upon his experience to let you know exactly what your case can be worth and what damages you deserve. Then, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure that you get them.
Who Could Be Liable for My Electric Scooter Accident?
If you’re injured in an accident involving an electric scooter, many different parties could be liable for your injuries. Some of the more common parties liable for an electric scooter accident include:
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Driver
Many e-scooter accidents are the fault of the driver of a vehicle. If the driver of a car, truck, SUV, or any other vehicle operates that vehicle negligently in such a way as to cause an injury, you very well may have a case.
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Electric Scooter Companies
Electric scooter companies such as Lime, Bird, Lyft, Spin, and others have a duty to provide you with a safe e-scooter. Should the scooters be defective in some way, which causes you to be injured, you could be eligible for compensation.
Moreover: Lime, Bird, Lyft, and so forth aren’t the only companies that could be liable for your scooter injuries. Perhaps the technicians who made the scooters, the establishments that sold them, those who produced the parts, designed them, and so forth, were negligent in some way. Should that have led to your injury, we’ll find the truth and use it to your advantage.
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Those Who Maintain the Roads
If you were operating an e-scooter on a sidewalk and there was a hazard that led to your injury, you could have a case here as well. In this scenario, whoever was responsible for maintaining the sidewalk was at fault, whether it was a governmental agency, the owner of a property abutting the sidewalk, and so forth.
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Pedestrians
Yes, it may seem unlikely, but pedestrians can potentially be eligible for an e-scooter injury. Remember: e-scooters are allowed to be in bike lanes. If, for example, a pedestrian steps out into a crosswalk without looking around, hitting an e-scooter, and causing an injury, then the pedestrian could be liable.
Always, we do what’s necessary to find the truth and use it to put together the most compelling case for our clients.
Do I Have a Case if Someone Injures Me With Their Scooter?
Yes, you absolutely do. In many cases, e-scooter riders are negligent, breaching their duty of care, and causing an injury for which the victim deserves compensation.
For example, maybe you’re on the sidewalk when someone on an e-scooter, going much too fast (up to 15 miles an hour) hits you, causing you to suffer an injury. In that case, you would deserve compensation for injuries suffered due to the operator of the e-scooter.
Do I Have a Case if I Suffer an Injury Involving an Electric Scooter and I’m Alone?
You very well. E-scooters are considered convenient for many reasons, not the least of which is that when operators reach their location they tend to simply leave the e-scooters anywhere. So, if you’re walking along, trip, and fall over an e-scooter, you could be eligible for compensation.
Specifically, you could potentially deserve compensation from the person who left the scooter in the street. Alternatively, the owner of the premises could be liable if it happened on their property or even, in some cases, the e-scooter company (should the scooter have been left in the street for a very long period of time).
As you might imagine, these cases can be very complicated. Having an experienced attorney on your side gives you the best possible chance at receiving all of the compensation you deserve.
How Can an Experienced Electric Scooter Attorney Help?
E-scooters have not been around for very long. As such, there is a distinct lack of e-scooter regulations in the state of California. Yes, e-scooter riders are required to only ride these solo, on sidewalks/bike lanes/designated areas, and at low speeds, etc. But, there really isn’t much in the way of regulations, traffic rules, and the like.
So, determining liability, damages, and the like after an accident can become very challenging. It’s all too easy to receive less compensation than you deserve (or even no compensation at all) for your injuries. Even those who are experienced personal injury attorneys (but not specifically experienced with e-scooter accident cases) may not be fully aware of all the existing laws, regulations, and so forth.
By having an attorney who has real e-scooter experience on your side, you give yourself the best possibility to receive all of the compensation you should.
Can I Receive Compensation for My Scooter Accident Even if I Was Partially At Fault?
Yes, you can. In California, we have what’s called “comparative negligence.” In this, you can receive compensation commensurate with how much of the accident is your fault. For example, maybe you rode your scooter where you shouldn’t have, thus leading to an accident. In that case, it may be determined that the accident was 25% your fault.
So, you could still receive 75% of the compensation that you would have otherwise received if the accident were not your fault in any way. By having an experienced attorney on your side, one who knows how to negotiate aggressively on behalf of clients, it’s possible to receive all that you should after an accident.
Belal Hamideh: Experienced Electric Scooter Accident Attorney
The time after suffering an e-scooter accident can be one of the most challenging in your life. You’re recovering from injuries, potentially unable to work, and unsure about what’s next. Belal and the team can help.
We work on contingency. As such, you do not have to pay us unless we win. However, we win 99% of the time. Even so, when we do win, our payment comes out of your eventual settlement. All of this is done to help injury victims during their time of need.
If you’ve suffered an accident involving an e-scooter, it may very well be possible to turn your personal injury into a victory.
To schedule a free case evaluation with Belal, complete the form at our site or call.