Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC can help you if you’ve been injured in an e-scooter (e-scooter) accident in Lexington. Like most cities, Lexington has a lot of different ways to get around, and e-scooters have become a more common part of that mix. They’re convenient, but that convenience goes away pretty quickly when you’re thrown off a scooter or hit by a car. We can help you sort through it all. Set up a free consultation today.
Does It Make Sense to Talk to a Lawyer After an E-Scooter Accident?
It’s pretty easy to understand why e-scooter accidents can be so serious. There’s no seatbelt, no airbag, and not much between you and a car, truck, pothole, or the pavement. When something goes wrong, you’re usually the one taking the impact.
And then the bills start showing up. You may miss work, need medical treatment, have a damaged scooter, and start getting calls from an insurance company asking questions about what happened. That’s usually the point when talking to our team makes more sense. When you do, we can:
- Explain your options in plain terms so you know what to expect
- Look into what caused the accident and figure out who could be responsible
- Handle the back-and-forth with the insurance companies so you don’t have to
- Help pull together the evidence needed to support your claim
There’s nothing easy about dealing with the aftermath of an e-scooter accident. And when you factor all of that in, it’s easier to see where a lawyer can help. But again, it’s also about the circumstances and where the accident actually happened.
Where Do E-Scooter Accidents Happen Around Lexington?
E-scooters can take you through a lot of different parts of Lexington. That also means there are plenty of different situations where an accident can happen. You may see e-scooters around:
- Downtown Lexington, where cars, pedestrians, bikes, and scooters are all moving around busy streets and intersections.
- Around the University of Kentucky, where students and others use scooters to get around campus and the surrounding area.
- The South Limestone and Euclid Avenue areas, where there’s a lot of vehicle and pedestrian traffic in a relatively small area.
- The Distillery District and Manchester Street, where scooters share the area with vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.
- The Legacy Trail and other shared-use paths, where scooters may be around pedestrians, runners, bikes, and other riders.
- Parking lots and shopping centers, where drivers may not expect a scooter to be moving through the area.
- Lexington streets and sidewalks with potholes, cracks, debris, or uneven pavement, which can be especially dangerous when you’re riding a small e-scooter.
As you can see, there are plenty of places around Lexington where an e-scooter accident can happen. Knowing where these accidents happen doesn’t prevent someone else from making a mistake, though. And when you’re the one who gets hurt, you shouldn’t have to deal with everything that comes afterward on your own.
What Information Can Help After Your E-Scooter Accident?
The suddenness of an e-scooter accident takes everybody by surprise. One second, you’re riding along, and the next thing you know, you’re on the ground and in pain.
When that happens, you’re not thinking about gathering information. You’re probably trying to catch your breath, figure out what hurts, and decide whether you need to go to the hospital.
At that point, it’s best to:
- Call 911 if you’re hurt. Police and EMTs can help with your injuries and document what happened.
While you wait, if you’re physically able to do so, it’s a good chance to get a few basics, like:
- Pictures and videos of the scooter, the vehicle involved, your injuries, the road, traffic signs, bike lanes, potholes, debris, and anything else at the scene.
- Contact information from the driver, pedestrian, bystander, or anyone else who saw what happened.
- Information about nearby cameras. A business, home, or traffic camera may have captured the accident.
That’s about as much as you need to worry about at the scene. You’re not trying to document the entire accident yourself. You’re just trying to get enough information to give you somewhere to start. Then, in the coming days and weeks, you’ll want to keep track of things like:
- Medical bills and records
- The police report
- Notes about your pain, recovery, and how your injuries are progressing
- Pay stubs or work records if you’ve missed time on the job
- Camera footage from nearby businesses, homes, or traffic cameras before it gets deleted
- Receipts for damaged helmets, phones, clothing, or other gear
You don’t have to have all of this figured out yourself. Even if all you have are a few pictures and your medical records, that gives us somewhere to start. We can help fill in the gaps and put everything together while you focus on getting better.
Who’s Liable When I’m Hurt in an E-Scooter Accident?
There are some differences that come with riding an e-scooter. You’re obviously moving faster than you would on foot, but the fact that you’re riding a different type of vehicle doesn’t mean you give up your rights when somebody else causes an accident.
So, the biggest question is still what actually happened and whether someone else’s negligence caused the accident. That’s what gives you the ability to file a claim, but it also points you in the direction of who’s liable. Usually, that lands on:
- A driver who was speeding, distracted, impaired, failed to yield, or simply wasn’t paying attention to you.
- The city or a property owner if a pothole, broken pavement, dangerous sidewalk, poor lighting, or something else unsafe led to the accident.
- Another cyclist, pedestrian, or scooter rider if something they did caused the collision.
- The scooter company or parts maker if there was a problem with the brakes, steering, tires, battery, motor, or another part of the scooter. This could also include a rental company if you were using a dockless e-scooter.
There can be a lot of questions when it comes to legal responsibility after an e-scooter accident. Sometimes there’s one obvious cause. Other times, several things led up to what happened. That makes things more complicated, but it doesn’t change your overall rights and options.
How Do I File an Injury Claim After an E-Scooter Accident?
Getting hurt on an e-scooter may feel different from a typical car accident, but your basic legal options are similar when someone else’s negligence caused your injuries. You can file an injury claim through either:
- An insurance claim outside of court.
- A personal injury lawsuit.
These two options also work the same way a normal injury claim does. The goal is to get “damages” relating to things you’ve lost, like:
- Medical expenses and future medical treatment
- Lost wages or reduced earning capacity
- Repair or replacement costs for damaged personal property
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Wrongful death damages in fatal accidents
Kentucky only gives you one year from the date of an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, although different deadlines can apply depending on the circumstances and who is involved. That can go by quickly when you’re trying to deal with everything an accident leaves you with. But one way or the other, our team can help you from the very start.
Free Consultations After E-scooter Accidents in Lexington
E-scooters can be a convenient way to get around Lexington, but that can change pretty quickly when you’re involved in an accident. Our team of Lexington e-scooter accident lawyers at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC can help you understand your options, look into what caused the accident, and deal with the insurance companies while you focus on getting better. Set up a free consultation today.
