Family Of Scooter Rider Left In Vegetative State Sues Lime Scooter
The family of a woman who was seriously injured in a scooter accident has filed a lawsuit against Lime, a company that provides e-scooters to the public in major cities all across the U.S. The 28-year-old victim was broadsided by a vehicle at an intersection in West Fort Lauderdale. She was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The victim has been fighting for her life and is currently in a coma. Her family has no idea whether or not she will ever wake up.
This case is one of the latest in a string of incidents involving electric scooters across the country. A recent study analyzed injuries related to electric scooters and found that, of 249 injuries, 40% sustained head injuries while 32% sustained broken bones or fractures.
A 24-year-old man in Dallas was killed while riding a Lime scooter home from work. An ME ruled the cause of death an accident when the rider fell off the scooter and struck his head on the pavement. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The scooter he was riding was found broken in half.
A 20-year-old man was also killed in an accident involving Lime scooters. He was struck by an SUV and dragged 20 feet in Washington, D.C. according to police.
The case against Lime
An attorney representing the plaintiff in the above-mentioned lawsuit believes that Lime’s operating instructions are to blame for the accident that caused her death. In November of last year, the City of Fort Lauderdale passed an ordinance that prohibits the scooters from being ridden on the street. They must be used on sidewalks, according to the ordinance. The 28-year-old plaintiff who is now in a coma was riding the vehicle in the street at the time of the accident.
According to Fort Lauderdale’s Fire Rescue, the City of Fort Lauderdale has seen 40 incidents related to scooters. 31 of those accidents required a visit to the hospital and four of those were level-one traumas.
The app for Lime tells you to operate the vehicles in the streets while Fort Lauderdale’s ordinance tells you the opposite. Plaintiffs claim that the instructions issued by Lime endanger the rider of the scooter and violate the law. The app says not to operate the scooters on the sidewalk while the Fort Lauderdale ordinance states that the scooters must be ridden on the sidewalk creating confusion for scooter users.
The plaintiffs are hoping to use these instructions against the company in order to win big judgments related to their injuries. However, these judgments come too late in many cases as the injuries suffered are life-altering and many have been killed in scooter accidents.
Talk to a Jacksonville Scooter Injury Attorney Today
The Jacksonville scooter injury attorneys at Gillette Law represent the interests of those who have been injured in scooter accidents. Call our office today to schedule a free consultation and we can begin the process of filing suit against negligent parties immediately.
Source:
abcnews.go.com/Unit/family-28-year-florida-woman-sues-lime-scooter/story?id=61017281
