In cities across the U.S., e-scooters have been growing in popularity among travelers on the go. You can rent a dockless electronic scooter for a tiny fee and park them virtually anywhere you want, offering both flexibility and convenience.
However as more people rent e-scooters, the greater the chance of injuries. Just this month, two people who rented e-scooters from the San Francisco-based company Lime were killed while riding. Lime is a relatively new company that started just 18 months ago.
Last week, a Lime e-scooter rider was struck and killed by an SUV in Washington, D.C., while earlier this month in Dallas, TX, a 24-year-old man fell off an e-scooter and sustained fatal head injuries. These two deaths show how vulnerable riders of e-scooters are, particularly when sharing the road with cars. Many cities do not allow riders to use e-scooters on the sidewalks for fear they will hit and injure pedestrians. Instead, riders are left to share the road with bigger and faster motor vehicles, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
While Lime is now in many states nationwide, Pennsylvania is currently not one of them. The only bike sharing program available, called Indego, resides in Philadelphia, however there is a very real possibility of e-scooters coming to the city soon. In June the city’s council passed an ordinance that would establish licensing and other requirements regarding the placement of bicycles and other small vehicles. This means a permit process for bike and e-scooter share programs could be implemented within the next several months.
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If you or a loved one suffered an injury on an e-scooter, contact us to discuss your potential legal options. Our Harrisburg personal injury lawyers can review your situation in a free, no obligation legal consultation.
Contact our office today by calling (717) 888-8888.