Who pays when you get hurt by someone on an e-scooter?
New York changed its laws recently, finally allowing people to drive e-scooters legally. These popular and efficient forms of transportation have taken many other states by storm, and now New York is on the cusp of an e-scooter explosion.
E-scooters have plenty going for them, including the fact that people don’t need to have a license or insurance to drive them. However, those positive selling points can actually be a major concern for others. What happens when a negligent person on an e-scooter crashes into you if there isn’t a requirement to carry insurance?
E-scooters are at least as dangerous as they are fun
While small, motorized e-scooters can’t cause nearly as much damage as a big motor vehicle, they could still cause life-altering or even fatal injuries. An e-scooter operator not following the rules of the road that say that they can’t be on public road’s sidewalks could strike someone. They could even knock someone out into traffic, leading to that person suffering catastrophic injuries.
Even when properly operated on appropriate surfaces, e-scooters come with risks. People can lose control or fail to notice others near them. E-scooter operators might crash into someone fracturing their bones or causing them to suffer a spinal cord or brain injury.
Those who hurt others are liable for the impact of their actions
Someone hurt by an e-scooter could lose out on wages, have major property damage costs and also have future lost wages to consider, especially after a brain injury.
E-scooter operators who do have comprehensive motor vehicle insurance may have to reimburse someone they hit for medical costs, property damage and even lost wages.
Most people hurt by an irresponsible e-scooter driver will have few options for pursuing compensation after an accident. They may be able to take legal action against the person on the scooter. If not, they may be able to sue the company that rented it out or maintained the e-scooter, provided that the plaintiff can prove that their negligence contributed to the collision.