Electric Bird and Lime Scooters

Electric scooters are a hip new trend in heavily-congested cities like Los Angeles, where riders can use a smartphone app to unlock a nearby scooter, hop on and ride from one location to another, foregoing the use of a car. Introduced as a cheap, fun and environmentally-friendly alternative to driving, many people see the scooter-sharing craze as a dangerous invasion that puts riders and those around them at risk for serious injury or death. Reckless riding and sidewalk blocking are serious concerns with Bird, Lime and other electric scooters, and with hundreds of scooters now zipping around SoCal’s city streets, injuries and possibly even fatalities are almost a foregone conclusion. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a Bird or Lime scooter accident, as a rider or as a pedestrian, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit against the scooter manufacturer. Contact a knowledgeable electric scooter injury attorney today to discuss your legal options.

Bird and Lime Scooter Lawsuit | Consumer Safety Watch

History of Bird and Lime Scooters

The concept of an electric scooter has been around for years, but the devices were previously marketed as toys, not as a mode of transportation. But now that motorized scooters are crowding California streets and sidewalks, the risk of injury or death has increased exponentially. As such, there are certain rules that come along with the use of Bird and Lime scooters. First, helmets are required, though they are rarely worn by riders. And you must be at least 18 years old and have a driver’s license to operate a scooter, a requirement that is also routinely ignored. As the new fad of riding electric scooters spreads, cities throughout Southern California are struggling to respond to the sudden influx of scooters on their roadways. In Beverly Hills, Bird scooters and other similar electric devices have been banned for six months, until the city can develop appropriate regulations for their use and figure out how to keep the scooters from becoming a public nuisance. And the city of West Hollywood recently banned electric scooters altogether.

Potential Bird and Lime Scooter Injuries

Injuries possibly resulting from the use of Bird and Lime scooters include:

Head injuries
Fractures
Broken bones
Trip and fall injuries
Traumatic brain injuries
Spinal cord injuries

Neck and back injuries
Paralysis
Bruises
Lacerations
Wrongful death

Bird and Lime scooters can cause serious injuries when pedestrians are struck by out-of-control scooters, when scooter riders fail to obey traffic signals and crash into cars or other objects, and when scooters are abandoned on sidewalks in the way of pedestrian traffic.

Potential Bird and Lime Scooter Injuries

Injuries possibly resulting from the use of Bird and Lime scooters include:

Head injuries
Fractures
Broken bones
Trip and fall injuries
Traumatic brain injuries
Spinal cord injuries

Neck and back injuries
Paralysis
Bruises
Lacerations
Wrongful death

What are Bird and Lime Scooters?

Bird and Lime scooters are two-wheeled scooters with an electric motor that people can rent for a base rate of $1 and then 15 cents a minute thereafter. Similar to the bike-sharing and car-sharing concept, Bird and Lime scooters are meant to be a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly alternative to driving (though some argue they are actually just an alternative to walking). All you need is a smartphone app and a helmet, and you can simply use the map to locate a nearby scooter, unlock it and go for a ride while automatically paying the fare. However, there are serious concerns about the safety of Bird and Lime scooters, not just for the rider, but also for pedestrians, other scooter riders and motorists. Injuries involving a Bird and Lime scooter occur most frequently when:

The scooter brakes fail and the rider crashes
Two people share a scooter
Scooters are ridden on the sidewalk, rather than the road
Scooters are ridden at night without proper lighting equipment
Pedestrians are struck by a scooter rider or lunge to get out of the way of a rider
The scooters are discarded on the sidewalk, interfering with pedestrian traffic
Riders fail to wear a helmet

Why Bird and Lime Scooter Lawsuits May Be Filed

Lawsuits may be filed against Bird and Lime, accusing the companies of:

Manufacturing dangerous electric scooters
Failing to adequately regulate the use of their electric scooters
Failing to ensure that people wear helmets while riding
Failing to ensure that their scooters are safe for use
Failing to ensure that riders have a designated place to park their scooters, out of the way of pedestrian traffic
Failing to enforce helmet and driver’s license regulations

Bird Scooter Lawsuit Information

Similar to bike-share and car-share programs, Bird, Lime and other electric scooter companies promote their products as a cheap and innovative form of transportation that helps get commuters out of their cars. And while there may be some environmental benefit to scooting, there are also plenty of situations in which Bird and Lime scooters can cause serious injuries, including pedestrians being struck by out-of-control scooters, scooter riders failing to obey traffic signals and crashing into cars or other objects, and scooters being haphazardly abandoned on sidewalks in the way of pedestrian traffic. There have even been reports of vandals cutting brake cables on Bird and Lime scooters, and it remains to be seen whether Bird and Lime are properly inspecting the scooters between rides to ensure that they are safe for use. Electric scooters have no airbags or turn signals, and for the most part, riders aren’t sure whether they should be obeying pedestrian signals or traffic lights, which leads to confusion and collisions. Ultimately, rather than offering commuters a solution to the “first mile, last mile” problem, i.e. getting to and from mass transit stations and their workplaces, Bird and Lime scooters are being used as toys – dangerous toys – and personal injury lawyers across the country are now investigating claims on behalf of riders and pedestrians injured in Bird and Lime scooter accidents.