Low-carbon powered scooters are among the most convenient and most dangerous vehicles in Orlando. These scooters are outstanding for trips of eight or ten blocks, which is a common length in urban areas. Much like bicycles, these scooters are also quite dangerous. Operators usually only need a valid credit card to ride them. And, in the event of a collision, scooter operators are almost completely exposed to danger.
The compassionate Orlando scooter accident attorneys at Payer Law understand the intense pain and suffering these victims must endure. Many people on our professional team have been involved in such accidents themselves. So, we do more than work hard to obtain maximum compensation for your serious injuries. We also offer solid legal advice and proactively communicate with you throughout the entire process.
Scooter Rider Injuries
Vehicle occupants have steel cages and multiple restraint layers to protect them during collisions. But scooter riders have none of these advantages. As a result, these victims often sustain serious injuries, such as:
- Exsanguination: Excessive blood loss is normally the official cause of death in these situations. Excessive force usually causes profuse internal bleeding. Since these organs have no protective skin layer, a tiny abrasion could mean serious trouble. In fact, many victims are on the edge of hypovolemic shock and organ shutdown by the time emergency responders reach the scene.
- Nerve Injuries: When riders fall off their scooters, they naturally extend their arms to break their falls. Since these victims normally land hard, this reaction often snaps nerves in the brachial plexus area. These injuries normally cause permanent paralysis.
- Brain Injuries: The aforementioned motion also causes the brain to violently slam against the inside of the skull. The resulting tissue damage is normally permanent. After brain cells die, they do not regenerate. Fortunately, extensive surgery and therapy can usually reduce the symptoms and allow these victims to get through their days.
Damages in a scooter accident claim usually include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages might be available as well, in some extreme situations.
Liability Issues
Normally, an Orlando scooter accident lawyer can hold the scooter owner or manufacturer liable for these damages. Several legal options are available.
Scooter owners, like all other property owners, usually have a duty of care to protect invitees from injury.
The duty of care includes a duty to frequently inspect the property and address potential injury hazards. Most scooter owners seldom if ever perform such inspections. In the meantime, the scooters are exposed to bad weather and often involved in minor accidents. An invitee is a person who has permission to use the property, and the use benefits the owner in some way. Riders who activate scooters and pay to use them are clearly invitees.
Scooter manufacturers could also be legally responsible for rider injuries. In general, manufacturers are strictly liable for injuries their defective products cause. That defect could be a design defect, such as wheels which are too narrow, or a manufacturing defect, such as a loose bolt.
Significant punitive damages are often available in defective product claims. Frequently, these companies know about these defects, yet they refuse to take appropriate action and instead put profits before people.
Contact an Understanding Orange County Lawyer
Injury victims are usually entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced scooter accident attorney in Orlando, contact Payer Law. Attorneys can connect victims with doctors, even if they have no insurance or money.
