E-scooter companies like Bird and Lime are preparing for a 2020 rollout in Orlando, giving people additional options for transportation with flexible pick-up and drop-off points, but this increase in transportation options comes with plenty of drawbacks and opposition. As these e-scooters become increasingly accessible and are allowed on Orlando bike lanes and other pedestrian-designated areas, it is a certainty that accidents involving e-scooters in Orlando will increase as well. As Orlando introduces a pilot program for these new ride-sharing companies, many other cities across the world are scrambling to identify the best ways to handle the rising prominence of e-scooters and the traffic laws that must now be adjusted to account for them.
If you are involved in a scooter accident in Orlando, you will benefit significantly from the help of a personal injury attorney as you go through the insurance claims process. The actual claims filing process, as well as the investigation that the claims adjuster will perform before giving you an offer, are generally fairly straightforward, which is pleasant on one hand, but will distract from the fact that this claims process is focused entirely on limiting the amount of money that you ultimately receive. Insurance companies benefit from having a smooth claims process to dissuade people from hiring a personal injury attorney, which is the best way to get the money that you truly deserve after an accident.
Read more below to get a better idea of why you will benefit so much from hiring a scooter accident attorney in Orlando instead of handling the claim yourself. 1-800-Injured has a substantial network of proven, trustworthy attorneys in Orlando who are ready to take your case today. Contact us now to be connected with the right lawyer for your case, and make sure that you get the money that you truly deserve after suffering from injuries in a scooter accident.
How Common Are E-Scooter Accidents in Orlando?
Scooters are an emerging phenomenon across the United States and many other countries, and with their rise to prominence, the number of accidents involving electronic scooters has also increased. Orlando is late to e-scooter rentals, only approving their usage for the start of 2020, but in comparison, Tampa has already had over 250,000 scooter rides across their city. Around the same time, Consumer Reports had determined that at least 8 people have died in scooter accidents since the fall of 2017 in the U.S. while riding a rented e-scooter. Yes, these numbers are not as shocking or high as things like car accidents or other wrongful death situations, but this number will continue to rise.
As pedestrians, drivers, cyclists, and everyone else who travels around Orlando adjust to the reality of sharing their travel lanes with e-scooters, it is likely that accidents involving these scooters will rise, and people will need help from an experienced attorney to sort out the details and ensure that everyone is treated properly given their legal rights.
What To Do After You Are In a Scooter Accident
Prioritize Safety
After you are involved in any type of accident, the most important thing that you can do first is to make sure that you are safe from any additional possible accidents. If you are immobilized as a result of your accident, or unconscious, then obviously this will be someone else’s responsibility. After an initial accident, the top priorities should be to avoid any secondary injuries and to contact 911 to get emergency responders on the scene as soon as possible.
Call 911
Contact 911 as soon as possible. Each emergency responder who arrives at the scene will take an important role to maximize your safety and support your medical needs. The Orlando police will divert traffic and secure the area in order to keep you safe, allow the EMTs to administer emergency medical treatment, and give the fire department a secure area where they can address any hazards or dangerous situations that need to be taken care of.
Get Medical Attention
The EMTs on the scene will assess all of the injuries caused by the accident, and make judgments about who needs the most medical attention the soonest, what steps to take in order to keep all victims stable and make proper medical recommendations on the next treatment steps. In some cases, this may require a trip to the emergency room in an ambulance. If the EMTs treating your injuries suggest this, accept their recommendations.
If your injuries are such that you are able to leave the scene on your own, it is still important that you see your personal doctor immediately. This will give you the double benefit of getting you the care you need and deserve while establishing documentation about the injuries and clearly connecting them with your accident.
Hire an Attorney
Once your injuries are addressed and you are able to focus on other issues, you will need to file an insurance claim. It may seem that you are filing too soon, especially if you are dealing with ongoing treatment or dealing with other issues that you are certain will continue to cost money beyond when your claim is settled, but it is important to act quickly. Hiring an attorney is the best way to make sure that all of the damages you have already incurred, as well as any damages that you will likely incur in the future, are addressed in your claim, instead of simply accepting the settlement that the insurance company would like to give you.
The Benefits of Hiring an Attorney
When you have a personal injury and scooter accident lawyer in Orlando representing you for your insurance claim, you will have a variety of advantages that will help increase your settlement amount and give you the ability to focus on recovery. They will be able to file all of the necessary paperwork, advise you on how to handle an independent medical examination if the claim adjuster requires one, and will represent you while you are focusing on recovering from your injuries.
In addition to simplifying the claims process for you, an attorney will be able to calculate the amount of money that you are rightfully owed after your accident, and negotiation directly with the insurance company as your advocate. Insurance companies are notorious for making settlement offers that are nowhere near the true amount that the victim deserves, but when your attorney is handling this for you, they will be able to initiate a series of aggressive negotiations to get you what you need and deserve.
If your attorney is unable to reach an agreement with the insurance company, then they will be able to take the necessary steps to file a lawsuit and take your case to trial. When you have been working with the same lawyer from day one, they will be able to step right into this new phase of your accident with all of the right information and start fighting for you immediately.