Were you injured in an accident involving an electric scooter in Dallas, TX? Electric scooter accident claims can present unique challenges. An experienced Dallas electric scooter accident lawyer can help you cut through the red tape and fight for compensation to cover medical bills, lost wages, and your personal pain, suffering, and trauma.
At Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers, our attorney has over 28 years of experience fighting for clients in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. We’ve successfully recovered over $110 million in settlements and verdicts for accident victims like you.
Now, our team is ready to fight to get the results you deserve. Just contact our law offices in Dallas, Texas, at (214) 855-1420 to schedule your free consultation today.
How Can Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers Help After an Electric Scooter Accident in Dallas?
You may deserve compensation if you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault. That said, the insurance claims process can be difficult. It can be especially frustrating to deal with insurance while you’re recovering.
Even worse, the insurance company will usually try to undervalue your personal injury claim. They might claim that your injuries weren’t that serious–or try to blame you for the accident. It’s always important to have experienced Dallas injury lawyers on your team. It’s even more critical if your injuries are serious.
Our team at Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers has been working hard to protect injury victims like you since 1995.
You can trust us to:
- Conduct a detailed investigation
- Gather evidence to support your case and downplay allegations that you were at fault
- Work with experts who can testify about the value of your losses and other complex aspects of your case
- Find out who is legally responsible for your damages
- Negotiate with the insurance companies for a full settlement
It’s never too early to consult an experienced Dallas personal injury lawyer. Give us a call today to schedule your completely free case review.
Are Electric Scooters Legal in Dallas?
Back in 2020, the City of Dallas banned electric scooter rentals due to safety concerns.
According to research published by the CDC, electric scooter accidents cause at least 20 injuries per every 100,000 e-scooter trips. Data published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission found that e-scooter accident injuries increased by 70% between 2017 and 2020 (when e-scooters first became popular). A total of 191,000 people were treated in emergency rooms across the U.S. for electric scooter-related injuries during that period.
Despite the safety issues, dockless electric scooter rentals officially returned to Dallas on May 31, 2023, with restrictions:
- Electric scooter operators must be at least 16 years old
- E-scooters cannot be ridden on sidewalks
- Scooters can only be parked in permitted areas
- The speed limit for e-scooters and e-bikes is 20 mph, with “slow zones” where the limit is reduced to 10 mph
Bird, Lime, and Superpedestrian were all offered permits to rent e-scooters to the public in Dallas. Now, people in Dallas can simply use their smartphones to scan a QR code and rent an electric scooter.
Even with the new safety regulations, about 560 complaints have been filed about electric scooter riders since the program was reintroduced. It also seems that e-scooter injuries are, once again, on the rise.
What Causes Most Electric Scooter Accidents in Dallas?
Causes of electric scooter accidents include:
- Distracted e-scooter operators
- Distracted motorists
- Failure to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and bicyclists
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Inexperienced e-scooter riders
- Riding double on the scooter
- Operating the e-scooter on the sidewalk
- Lack of dedicated infrastructure, such as bike lanes, for e-scooters
- Dangerous turns
- Ignoring traffic regulations, such as by running stop signs
- Drunk driving or operating the scooter while using drugs
- Potholes, crumbling pavement, and other road hazards
- Parking the e-scooter in dangerous locations where pedestrians might slip and fall
Electric scooter accidents can also happen because of problems with the e-scooter itself. Rental companies have a duty to maintain their fleet of scooters in safe condition. Problems with the electric scooter’s battery, steering mechanism, or tires can all cause serious accidents.
It’s important to determine why your accident happened. Understanding the root cause of the accident is the key to finding out who is responsible for your damages.
Who is Responsible for Paying My Damages After an Electric Scooter Accident in Dallas?
Ultimately, the answer depends on why your accident happened.
Examples of potentially responsible parties include:
- A negligent driver of a motor vehicle
- The e-scooter rental company
- Manufacturers of defective e-scooters or safety features
- Another e-scooter driver
- Pedestrians or bicyclists
- Government agencies or transit companies
- Employers of negligent parties
- Property owners who fail to maintain their premises
Our Dallas electric scooter accident attorney will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of your e-scooter crash. Call our law firm today to schedule your free case review.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Electric Scooter Accident Victims in Dallas?
Economic damages are awarded to restore you to the financial position you occupied prior to the injury, and may include:
- Past medical bills
- Estimated future medical expenses
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing care
- In-home assistance
- Lost wages, income, and employment benefits
- Lost future earning potential
- Property damage, including vehicle repair costs
Non-economic damages are your losses that don’t have such a clear financial value, and often include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental trauma and emotional distress
- Specific conditions, such as PTSD, anxiety, or depression
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement or scarring
- Loss of consortium and other damages for a wrongful death claim
In rare cases, you may deserve punitive damages if the defendant’s acts were intentional or especially shocking.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for Causing an Electric Scooter Accident in Texas?
You can recover compensation if your percentage of fault is less than 51%. Once your share of fault reaches or exceeds 51%, you lose your right to compensation entirely under Texas’ modified comparative negligence rules.
Shared fault is an important issue, even if you were less than 51% to blame. Your compensation will be reduced if you share any blame at all for your injuries. For example, if you were found to be even 10% liable, your settlement or verdict is reduced by 10%.
Our lawyer will work hard to minimize the amount of fault assigned to you so that you can secure full compensation.
Our Accident Attorney Will Fight To Recover Compensation for All of Your Electric Scooter Accident Injuries
Electric scooters may be convenient, but they aren’t the safest way to travel. As with bicyclists, e-scooter riders have almost nothing to protect them in a crash–even if they’re wearing a helmet. When e-scooters are involved in car accidents, the risk of severe injury is even greater.
At Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers, we can handle e-scooter accident claims involving:
- Head and neck injuries
- Dislocated joints
- Contusions and lacerations
- Shoulder injuries
- Thoracic injuries
- Burns and road rash
- Broken bones
- Nerve injuries
- Whiplash injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Chest injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Organ damage
- Internal bleeding
- Severe bruising
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Regardless of the types of injuries you’ve suffered, seek legal advice after an accident. Someone else may owe you compensation.
How Do I Prove Negligence After an Electric Scooter Accident in Texas?
Most personal injury cases are based on negligence. Someone is negligent when they fail to exercise reasonable caution under the circumstances. In plain English, negligence is similar to carelessness.
To establish negligence, you must prove four separate elements:
- The defendant owed you a legal duty of care
- They breached their duty
- The breach of duty directly caused your accident
- You suffered some type of damages, or harm
It’s also possible that strict liability theories could apply if your accident occurred because of a defective e-scooter or safety feature. In these cases, you don’t have to prove that the manufacturer was negligent. Instead, you must prove that the product suffered from a defect and that you were injured because of it.
How Long Do I Have To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit After an Electric Scooter Accident in Texas?
The statute of limitations in Texas personal injury cases is two years. You have two years from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit for damages. After two years, you lose your right to compensation.
Two years might seem like a long time, but it’ll go by fast. It’s also important to start the legal process and gather valuable evidence to support your case sooner rather than later.
We always recommend consulting an experienced attorney as soon as possible after an injury–and remember that you don’t have to wait until you’re fully healed to take legal action.
Contact a Dallas Electric Scooter Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you or a family member were injured in an e-scooter accident, our team at Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers is here to fight for fair compensation for your injuries. Contact us today to learn more about how an experienced Dallas electric scooter accident lawyer can help you get the money you need.
