27 April

Hit By a Car While Riding an E-Scooter or Other E-Device in Florida

E-scooters offer a great alternative to driving when you just have to go a mile or two, or need to get from the bus stop back home. Scooters are slowly transforming the way that people in large cities get around. While we currently do not have any large e-scooter companies like Byrd, Lyft, or Lime in Ocala, e-scooters are already in use in Gainesville on a trial program, according to the Ocala Star Banner. In the meantime, many individuals are purchasing their own electric scooters, hoverboards, bikes, and other devices to do errands and commutes, for exercise, to walk the dog, and for fun. Unfortunately, drivers are not always on the lookout for other road users, and some even intentionally drive dangerously or aggressively around vulnerable road users as it is (including pedestrians and bicyclists). If you were injured while riding any type of electric mobility device, or “micromobility device,” you may be able to win a personal injury claim against the negligent driver who caused your injuries.

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Bias Against E-Scooters

As an e-scooter rider or other electric mobility device rider, you face an uphill battle when it comes to proving negligence. There is already a strong bias against e-scooters in particular, as well as bikes, skateboards, and other personal mobility devices, whether they have an electric motor or not. In the Pacific Northwest, a survey found that only half of residents thought that e-scooters were safe to ride. According to CNN, e-scooters are facing bans in the U.S. and throughout the world.

City governments, disability rights groups, automobile special interest groups, and business owners across Florida and the country are in heated debates regarding e-scooters. Some cities and counties are deciding whether or not to ban e-scooters, while others have already done so, or at least prohibited large e-scooter companies from coming to their cities. The bias against e-scooters and e-bikes comes from:

Lack of understanding and knowledge about e-scooters and e-bikes;
Not enough space for pedestrians as it is;
Drivers not wanting to give up space for other road users or slower speed limits to make sharing the road safer;
Drivers worried about their own liability;
Automobile special interests groups;
Lack of relevant laws for e-scooters and other vulnerable road users; and
Business owners’ lack of understanding that foot, scooter, and bike traffic actually increases local and small business sales.

Proving Negligence

As with any traffic collision, victims must be able to prove that the other party was negligent, and therefore liable for covering damages. The driver that hit you may have been texting while driving, intoxicated, speeding, or cut you off out of impatience. However, because of the bias against e-scooters and other electric mobility devices, they will likely try to pin the blame on you, which is why you need an experienced attorney on your side.

Our Ocala E-Scooter Collision Attorneys Can Help You Win Your Case

Whether you were on the sidewalk, crosswalk, parking lot, or on the side of the road, you have rights as an e-scooter rider, and you have the right to sue the other party for careless or reckless driving. To get started today, call the Ocala personal injury lawyers at Glover Law Firm today at 352-484-0775 to schedule a free consultation.