A scooter accident in Florida can lead to some pretty serious injuries. Just a few hundred pounds, two wheels, and the open road is all it takes for an accident victim to need medical care and time off work.
Scooters are lightweight vehicles that typically travel at speeds of 35 mph or below. They are small enough to weave in and out of traffic through bicycle lanes or between parked cars. A lot of people like them because they don’t require insurance, registration fees, title fees, license plate fees, emissions testing fees, safety inspection fees, and so on. They save money!
However, these benefits come with a price – crashes involving scooters tend to be more deadly than other types of motor vehicle accidents.
Contact 1-800-Injured To Find an Attorney Today
1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. If you have been hurt or a loved one died in a scooter accident that someone else caused, we will contact a personal injury lawyer on your behalf for a free consultation. During this consultation, you will learn all about the type of support the attorney can provide you through this process, as well as what you can expect from a personal injury claim or lawsuit.
Read more below about scooter accidents, and contact 1-800-Injured as soon as possible to be connected with a lawyer who is ready to fight for the money you are rightfully owed.
The Dangers of Scooter Accidents
There are many things that can go wrong with a scooter. Its two-wheeled design leaves it vulnerable to topple over after a slight collision or without being hit by another vehicle. Since the machines are quite light, they don’t provide much protection for riders in an accident. There is no metal cage surrounding them after all. When you’re thrown from a scooter, there isn’t much between you and the ground except your clothes and—hopefully—a helmet.
Many companies manufacture lightweight scooters that weigh no more than 70 pounds and can be easily transported in the trunk of most vehicles. Unfortunately, many of these models don’t provide any safety equipment like turn signals or brake lights, making them even less safe to operate on streets with high speed limits.
Common Types of Scooter Accidents
Risks are significantly higher for motorcycle or scooter riders who have few protections in place. Riders are at risk of being hit by a driver pulling out of their driveway or between parked cars g. Scooters generally go under 25 miles per hour, but these speed limitations have no bearing on the speed at which another vehicle may hit them.
Blind Spot Accidents
Scooters, like motorcycles, take up less visual space than a truck or passenger vehicle and can therefore get lost in a blind spot much easier than a larger vehicle. Furthermore, many scooters can fit comfortably between vehicles by “lane splitting” (which is not legal in Florida), and drivers committing to a turn or lane change may not be expecting that a vehicle may be in the area into which they are moving.
Left-Turn Accidents
Again, because scooters take up less visual space than a passenger vehicle, drivers preparing to take a left turn at an intersection may not recognize a scooter approaching. The driver may commit to the turn before realizing that they have crossed into someone else’s lane of travel. A scooter may contact the vehicle directly, and the rider could be ejected from the machine.
Drunk Driving Accidents
The irresponsible decision to operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs puts everyone else at risk. Intoxicated drivers have reduced reaction times, their ability to assess risks is greatly impeded, and their peripheral vision is significantly impacted, all of which can lead to an easily avoidable accident with a scooter.
Pedestrian Collisions
Pedestrians, much like drivers, must be on the lookout for other vehicles and stay cognizant of their right of way as they navigate the sidewalks and roadways of Port St. Lucie. When a pedestrian jaywalks, they may unwittingly put themselves in the path of an oncoming scooter that is not expecting someone to emerge from behind a car, bus, or object that obscures an upcoming hazard.
Common Scooter Accident Injuries
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A blow to the head can rupture blood vessels and impact brain tissue, resulting in bleeding or bruising of the brain. This type of injury may leave people with permanent disabilities such as paralysis, loss of hearing or vision, memory loss, and impaired reasoning skills.
Broken Bones
People may break bones in a truck accident if their vehicle collides with another car or truck. The severity of broken bones varies depending on the location and force of impact.
Internal Bleeding
The force of an accident can send the rider flying through the air and crashing into a hard surface. This sudden impact can rupture blood vessels or tear layers of tissue within the body, leading to internal bleeding that is not visible from the outside.
Back Injuries
Back pain is one of the most common results of a scooter crash because riders are not securely restrained on a scooter as they would be inside a passenger vehicle. Seat belts prevent occupants from hitting their heads against the dashboard, but also prevent them from moving around freely during a crash. In contrast, scooter riders are commonly thrown from their vehicle and to the ground.
Lacerations and Scrapes
You may receive superficial injuries to your face or hands, particularly if you are not wearing protective gear like elbow or knee pads. Any kind of road rash can be extremely painful, which is why wearing proper riding gear is essential, even on a scooter.
Soft-tissue Damage
The sudden movement of a scooter accident often causes people to twist their neck, back, spine, etc. causing soft tissue damage that is very difficult to treat long term without surgery. Whiplash is one of the most common injuries in auto accidents of all types; it is a soft-tissue injury to the neck caused by a rapid back and forth jerking of the head.