Understanding Liability in Electric Scooter Accidents

On Behalf of Mallilo & Grossman Attorneys at Law | Nov 20, 2024 | Personal Injury |

If you’ve been injured in an accident involving an electric scooter, things can get somewhat complicated when it comes to understanding who is liable. A scooter accident lawyer in Queens will have experience in dealing with these cases and will be able to help you bring a case against the right party and pursue the compensation you deserve.

Understanding Liability in Electric Scooter Accidents

What Is Liability?

Liability refers to who is responsible. In other words, who acted negligently and thus caused the accident? It can be various people or entities in an electric scooter incident. For example, sometimes drivers are careless and don’t signal as they turn and sideswipe a scooter, injuring the scooter rider. In other cases, scooters are driven recklessly and injure pedestrians. In still other circumstances, pedestrians ignore the law themselves, such as by crossing against the pedestrian light, and get hit by a scooter. There are even cases where the scooter manufacturer or the battery maker may be at fault for a malfunction.

No matter who ultimately is liable, your case will always depend on proving that another party had a duty of care towards you which they failed to fulfill. In other words, they did something they shouldn’t, or they failed to do something they should, and this caused an accident. You must also be able to show that this accident caused your injuries and that your injuries caused you specific, provable damage.

Drivers

When motor vehicle drivers are at fault, in most cases their vehicle insurance will be responsible to pay for your damages. New York has a no-fault system for car insurance, but this does not apply to scooters, motorcycles, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Scooter Riders

If a scooter rider injured someone because they were breaking the law or driving recklessly, they would be liable for that person’s injuries. Be aware, however, that some people ride scooters because they don’t have enough personal wealth to own a vehicle. And because scooter riders are not required to carry insurance, it can be very difficult to get the full compensation that you need from a private individual in this situation. Your lawyer will help you uncover all possible avenues for compensation.

Pedestrians

If a pedestrian is violating the law and is hit by a scooter, the pedestrian may be the one at fault, or at least primarily at fault. A third-party pedestrian could even be at fault for the injuries of a different pedestrian if the first pedestrian’s negligence caused a scooter to swerve and hit someone else.

Contact a Scooter Accident Lawyer

As you can see, these accidents can be quite complicated, and it’s often the case that several people are partially responsible. The best way to protect your rights and ensure the best shot at getting the compensation you need is to work with an experienced lawyer who has been down this road before.

Scooter accidents are complicated, so if you’ve been in one, call Mallilo & Grossman, Attorneys at Law in Flushing, NY. We’re Queens’ largest personal injury firm and have been helping people for over 40 years.

163-09 Northern Boulevard Flushing, NY 11358-2644