Compensation For Electric Scooter Accidents

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E-Scooter Accident And Injury Claims

By Cat Way. Last Updated 12th July 2023. Road-legal e-scooters have quickly become a fun, fast, and convenient way to get around town. When e-scooter riders respect The Highway Code and other motorists, the transport can be enjoyable for everyone 18 and over. However, e-scooter users could also have an accident that was not their fault.

e-scooter accident

E-scooter accident guide

As such, if you’ve been injured in an e-scooter accident that wasn’t your fault and you would like to start a personal injury claim, we can help. Why not get in touch now for free legal advice from our advisors? Get in touch by:

This guide will explain in what circumstances you may be able to make an e-scooter claim. Furthermore, it will also show the benefits of using a No Win No Fee scooter accident lawyer.  For more advice, continue reading our guide below.

Select A Section 

  1. Electric Scooter Accidents – What Is An E-Scooter Accident?
  2. Are E-Scooters Legal In The UK?
  3. Where Can You Ride An E-Scooter In The UK?
  4. How Long Do You Have To Claim After E-Scooter Accidents?
  5. Who Is Liable For E-Scooter Injuries?
  6. Types Of E-Scooter Accidents
  7. Evidence That Can Support E-Scooter Accident Claims
  8. Accident Compensation Payouts For E-Scooter Injuries
  9. Compensation For Medical And Other Expenses
  10. No Win No Fee E-Scooter Accident Claims

Electric Scooter Accidents – What Is An E-Scooter Accident?

Electric scooter accidents could have various causes; potentially involving other road users or defects in the road. If you’re riding an e-scooter, you could be hit by another road user or fall due to a pothole in the road. If you’re injured due to the negligence of a party that owed you a duty of care, you could claim compensation for your electric scooter injuries. Some examples of electric scooter accidents you could potentially claim for include:

  • Falling off the scooter due to an uneven pavement that were reported to the council and not repaired in due time.
  • Being hit by a car or other vehicle due to a driver not taking proper care at a junction.
  • Falling due to a large pothole in the road that was not addressed by the council in due time.

Electric scooter accidents could result in minor to serious injuries to various parts of the body. Some electric scooter injuries could include fractures, concussions or lacerations.

Are E-Scooters Legal In The UK?

E-scooters are indeed legal to own and use in the UK, but just like cars or bicycles, this comes with certain restrictions that must be observed. These are as follows:

  • You must be 16 to use an e-scooter on private land, according to a recent Parliamentary report. However, to use a rented e-scooter, provided under the pilot scheme, you must be 18 or over.  
  • Riders are prohibited from using electric scooters on pavements. 
  • You cannot use an e-scooter on motorways. 

Do you need a licence to ride an e-scooter?

Anyone riding an e-scooter must have at least a provisional licence. If you rent an e-scooter through a local government pilot scheme, you will be covered by insurance as part of your rental purchase for however long you are in control of your rented scooter. 

Where Can You Ride An E-Scooter In The UK?

In the UK, e-scooters can currently be used in two main settings. These are on the road in England where there are government trials and on private property. However, specific restrictions will apply here.

E-scooters can be divided into two categories: 

  1. Those that are privately purchased through retailers. At present, private scooters are not road-legal.
  2. Those that are rented through companies, usually licensed and provided by local councils. You can only ride officially licensed rental scooters on the roads and also on cycle lanes in these areas.

Firstly, as mentioned, rental e-scooters must never be operated on footpaths for the safety of yourself and pedestrians. While recharging stations are positioned on footpaths, you must safely wheel these onto the road. 

While on the road, you must respect The Highway Code and other motorists. You can also not currently use these in parks if there’s no public road running through it. If you are found to have operated an e-scooter on footpaths or in parks, this could invalidate your claim. 

For more specific information about rental e-scooters and their availability in your area, contact your local council. 

How Long Do You Have To Claim After E-Scooter Accidents?

If you’ve been injured in an electric scooter crash and are eligible to make a personal injury claim, you must ensure that you are within the correct time limit. This is usually three years from the date of your injuries, as stated by the Limitation Act 1980. But this time limit comes with some exceptions.

For example, if you are under the age of eighteen when you suffer electric scooter injuries, then the time limit is frozen until your eighteenth birthday. From this date, you will have until your 21st birthday to start a claim. However, a litigation friend can make your claim for you at any time while the time limit is frozen.

For those who lack the capacity to claim for e-scooter accidents themselves, the time limit is suspended indefinitely. If the appropriate capacity is regained, then the suspension lifts, and the time limit begins on the date of their recovery. Otherwise, a litigation friend can make the claim on their behalf while the time limit is suspended.

Our advisors can help you identify whether you are within the time limit to start a personal injury claim when you get in touch today.

Who Is Liable For E-Scooter Injuries?

In any personal injury claim, solicitors must be aware of who has a duty of care. This means the party has a legal responsibility to keep all visitors safe in the space they control. 

Relevant to the world of e-scooters is public liability. In public spaces controlled by the local council as well as private property, the controllers of spaces are obligated to follow the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This gives occupiers the responsibility to ensure that anyone that visits is kept “reasonably safe” while present. 

Local councils can follow this legislation by ensuring that public highways are regularly maintained in a timely manner. If they become aware of missing road signs or potholes, for instance, they have a duty of care to repair these as reasonably soon as they can. 

Hit by another motorist 

If you are hit by another motorist, liability still needs to be worked out. Whoever caused the accident could be found liable. For example, if a driver was using their mobile phone while they pulled out and they hit an e-scooter rider because of this, they could be liable. 

Can I still claim?

You could make a claim in situations where your injuries were not your fault. If you lose control of your e-scooter after hitting a crack or pothole in the road that the local council has failed to repair in a timely manner, you may be eligible for a claim. 

If you have been involved in an e-scooter accident that was not your fault, but you are confused about the circumstances around your case, speak to our advisors today. 

Types Of E-Scooter Accidents

E-scooter riders will occupy the same roads that car drivers and motorcycle riders drive on. As such, they can be susceptible to similar road traffic accidents. For example:

  • You may be affected by dangerous or reckless driving where you have been sideswiped, T-boned, or rear-ended by another road user. 
  • Substandard road conditions may also be the root cause of an e-scooter accident, such as a crack in the road or missing road markings. 
  • Car accidents involving doors can also be problematic on UK roads. These occur when someone driving a car parks alongside a road, and opens a door perpendicular to the road without checking their surroundings, causing a rider to crash. 
  • One other setting where an e-scooter accident could occur is at a junction. E-scooters and their riders do not occupy the same amount of space on the roads as a car. As such, it may be more difficult for car drivers to see an e-scooter approach at a T-junction, especially if the driver of the car is not paying attention. This may result in the rider T-boning or rear-ending the car driver, leading to a possible injury.

The above list of accidents is not exhaustive and may not adequately reflect the circumstances of your own incident.

Electric Scooter Injuries – Examples

There are several types of injuries that could be sustained in an e-scooter accident. This includes, but is not limited to:

Evidence That Can Support E-Scooter Accident Claims

When making a personal injury claim following an electric scooter crash, you will need to provide evidence that negligence occurred. Collecting sufficient evidence could prove the e-scooter injuries you suffered, as well as who was liable for your accident.

Some examples of the evidence that could help support your personal injury claim include:

  • A copy of your medical records stating the type of injury you suffered and the treatment you required.
  • Photographs of the accident.
  • Videos of the accident, such as CCTV footage.
  • The contact details of any witnesses to the accident so that they can provide a statement at a later date.

Call our advisors to learn more about personal injury claims for electric scooter accidents. They may also connect you with one of our solicitors, who could help you with gathering evidence for your claim.

Accident Compensation Payouts For E-Scooter Injuries

You may have accessed our accident compensation calculator to gain a general idea of how much your e-scooter injuries could be worth. However, a compensation calculator may not consider every aspect of your accident injury claim, which we explore in the next section.

Another way of gaining a general idea of how much your accident compensation claim could be worth is by looking at the table below. It provides guidelines for general damages compensation taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is a document that legal professionals use to help assign value to injuries. However, the amounts shown are not guaranteed, as every case is different.

Edit
Injury Severity Nature of Incident Possible Compensation
Injury to the Brain (d) Less Severe Brain Damage Less serious brain damage. You will be able to resume a normal life but you may suffer with memory problems and changes of mood. £15,320 to £43,060
Injury to the Back (b) Moderate (i) Moderate back damage may occur. This can incorporate a crush fracture of the vertebrae as well as constant pain and discomfort. £27,760 to £38,780
Injury to the Neck (b) Moderate (i) Moderate neck damage. You may need spinal fusion, for example. £24,990 to £38,490

Injury to the Leg (c) Less Serious Leg Injuries (ii) Simple fracture of a femur with no damage to articular surfaces. £9,110 to £14,080
Injury to the Shoulder (c) Moderate Moderate shoulder damage. This can involve a frozen shoulder with reduced mobility. This will persist for about two years. £7,890 to £12,770

Injury to the Pelvis (c) Lesser Injuries (i) Minor pelvis damage. This can involve soft tissue damage. Likely to be a recovery within two years. £3,950 to £12,590

Call our advisors for an estimate of your e-scooter accident compensation claim.

Compensation For Medical And Other Expenses

Compensation for any injury, including for e-scooter accidents, can usually be thought of in two categories. These are general damages and special damages.

General Damages

General damages refer to medically diagnosed “pain and suffering” that you sustained as a result of your accident. These injuries can be psychological as well as physical. 

Special Damages

Special damages refer to financial losses caused by your injuries. This can incorporate lost wages as well as travel expenses to and from appointments. This can also include private healthcare costs caused by the e-scooter crash.

Try to keep hold of proof of expenses such as receipts and payslips as these could constitute useful evidence for your claim. 

The aim of compensation is to get you back to the position you were in before your accident happened. If you believe you may be entitled to compensation as a result of an accident that wasn’t your fault, speak to our advisors. 

No Win No Fee E-Scooter Accident Claims

If you suffered injuries in an e-scooter crash, you may wish to claim compensation with the support of a No Win No Fee lawyer. Their services could be funded under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

This means that you typically won’t be asked to pay an upfront solicitors fee. If your e-scooter crash compensation claim is successful, a success fee will be taken from your award. The law caps the amount that can be taken. When an e-scooter crash claim isn’t successful, you typically won’t be expected to pay for your solicitor’s services.

Our advisors can discuss how to claim for the injuries you suffered in your e-scooter crash. If they feel your claim has a good chance of success, you could be connected to our solicitors. To get in touch:

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Below, we’ve added links to information that we believe could be helpful for you. 

Get in touch to discuss your e-scooter accident today.

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