Electric scooters like those offered by the companies Bird and Lime are fun and convenient, but they’re also highly dangerous. If you’ve been injured by one of these increasingly popular urban transportation solutions, you’ll need to learn how to get the compensation you deserve for your potentially incapacitating injury.

The Rising Danger of Electric Scooters

Electric motorized scooters are becoming more and more popular in urban areas like Northridge, but the increased prevalence of these modes of conveyance on the streets of Los Angeles is associated with serious consequences to public health and safety. A year-long study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concludes that electric scooter accidents in the Los Angeles area have resulted in more injuries than those reported by pedestrians or bicyclists.

User error is a common cause of electric scooter injuries. No training is required to ride one of these scooters, and if you’re over 18, California law has ruled that you don’t need to wear a helmet when you ride an electric scooter. Pretty much anyone can ride an electric scooter; all you need is a smartphone and a few bucks in your bank account.

Aside from inexperienced riders, problems with the scooters themselves can also cause injuries. According to people who have ridden electric scooters by Bird or Lime, these scooters provide instant torque, which can take new riders by surprise. Electric scooters often have defective brakes as well, which can make it hard to stop when you encounter pedestrians or obstacles.

One man in San Diego fractured his tibia and fibula after his scooter failed to stop in time to avoid a divot in the road. He ended up needing to have two metal plates and 21 screws inserted into his leg. The throttle on a 58-year-old woman’s scooter got stuck in its fully depressed position, and her arm was broken when she was thrown off the scooter. The brakes on another San Diego man’s scooter failed while he was going downhill, and he suffered serious head injuries when he was thrown off his vehicle.

Lasting Consequences of Scooter Injuries

Electric scooters can cause a wide variety of different medical issues that result in serious long-term consequences. While it’s possible to walk away from an electric scooter accident with no more than a few scrapes, these types of accidents can also cause horrific injuries that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Learn more about the types of injuries that electric scooter accidents can cause:

1. Fractures and Sprains

These types of injuries are some of the most common results of electric scooter accidents. Minor sprains usually resolve themselves within a couple of weeks, and they don’t result in long-lasting consequences. Bone fractures, however, can cause serious issues for the rest of your life depending on the severity of the break and the location of the broken bone.

For instance, some types of bone fractures require surgery and the installation of metal hardware. While these procedures can save your limb and return your original range of motion, serious bone fractures can result in lifelong aches and pains. In some cases, bone fractures can make it hard for you to walk, work, or even get out of bed in the morning.

2. Head Injuries

Since helmets aren’t required to ride electric scooters in Northridge, head injuries are disturbingly common consequences of electric scooter accidents. It’s possible to crack your skull when you fall off an electric scooter, and it’s also possible to suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI occurs when your brain bashes into the interior of your skull, and this type of head injury can result in long-lasting consequences like loss of motor control and even coma.

3. Other Injuries

In addition to head injuries, fractures, and sprains, electric scooter accidents can cause a wide variety of different types of bodily harm. For instance, serious skin lesions and scrapes are common results of these accidents, and depending on the type of impact you endure, you may even experience organ damage or failure. In extreme cases, scooter injuries may cause death, and if one of your loved ones has been killed by an electric scooter, you’ll need to get in touch with a lawyer immediately.

Why You’ll Need a Lawyer’s Help

The arena of motorized scooter law is relatively new, and litigating cases of electric scooter injury can be highly complicated and confusing. While it’s often possible to receive adequate compensation from scooter companies when you are harmed by one of their scooters, companies like Lime and Bird are understandably reluctant to offer settlements, and you’ll need to have a qualified lawyer by your side if you want to make sure that you get the compensation you need to recover from your injury.

Count on Valley Accident Attorney for the Help You Need

Here at Valley Accident Attorney, we’ve seen the horrors that electric scooters can inflict firsthand. Until you’ve been hurt by one of these scooters, it’s natural to think that they’re fun and harmless, but the truth is that these trendy sidewalk vehicles can be dangerous or even deadly. To learn more about how we can defend your interests and make sure that the scooter company that harmed you pays up, give us a call at 818-565-6600 today!