Involved Lime Bike Accident – Find Out If You Can Claim

Lime Bikes are becoming a common sight in many UK cities, but this increase in bicycle traffic, as well as their size, presents risks to other road users. So, we’ve made this guide on when and how you could make a Lime Bike accident claim following a road traffic collision.

Key Takeaways

• Lime Bikes are an e-bike rental service with infrastructure across the country.
• As the service operator, Lime Bike must make sure the bikes are safe for use through regular checks, maintenance and replacing damaged bikes.
• A personal injury claim could be made if a failure to provide a safe product causes you to suffer injuries in a road traffic accident.
• You could also claim as an e-bike rider if another road user was responsible for your injuries.
• Our solicitors can offer eligible claimants a No Win No Fee contract with some very desirable benefits.

You can reach us at any time using whatever method suits you best. Our team maintain 24/7 contact lines, so get in touch today to learn more about making a claim. You can:

• Call an advisor on 0800 073 8804.
• Contact us online by completing a form.
• Open the live chat window on your screen now.

Can I Make A Lime Bike Accident Claim With Legal Expert?

You could make a Lime Bike accident claim with Legal Expert if you can demonstrate that a duty of care was owed to you, and that a failure to uphold this caused your injuries. 

Lime Bike riders are road users and therefore must, like anyone else, navigate the roads in a way that prevents the risk of harm, per their duty of care. This means upholding the standards of the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988. 

As well as being owed a duty of care by other road users, Lime Bike itself must uphold certain standards of safety and due diligence when providing rental bike services. This could include ensuring the bikes are well-maintained and are in fit working order.

We’ll examine various scenarios of when you may be able to make a personal injury claim in a later section. For now, we have summarised the general eligibility criteria here:

1. You were owed a duty of care as an e-bike rider.
2. This duty was breached in some way.
3. That breach caused an accident in which you were injured.

You can get a free eligibility check by talking to our advisors. Use the contact information at the end of this guide to reach a member of our team. 

What Compensation Could I Get For An E-Bike Accident?

Compensation for an e-bike accident can be split across two heads of loss. These are:

• General damages compensate for the physical harm and psychological distress.
• Special damages account for your financial losses. We’ll examine this further in the next section.

Below, the table contains some figures listed within the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), a publication that sets out guideline compensation brackets for a range of injuries.

Solicitors can refer to the JCG alongside your medical evidence to help them calculate an overall general damages value. Please be advised that this information is intended to serve as guidance only. 

Compensation Table

The top figure in this table was not taken from the JCG.

What Else Can Be Covered In A Lime Bike Accident Claim?

Financial losses can also be covered in a Lime Bike accident claim under special damages. It is reasonably likely that following a road traffic accident, you’ll incur some financial harm. This could be due to time off work, medical costs and requiring care.

We’ve provided a summary of possible costs here:

• A loss of earnings if you need to be off work to recover from your injuries.
• Medical expenses such as prescriptions, private treatment, therapy or counselling.
• Transport costs if you are unable to drive.
• In-home care and support is available if you are unable to perform daily activities such as meal preparation, cleaning, maintenance, and childcare safely on your own.
• You may also require some accessibility installations, including access ramps, stairlifts or a modified shower.

Make sure you hold onto any evidence of these costs, including your payslips, travel tickets and bills for care and other services. 

To get a more detailed idea of what a claim in your particular circumstances could be worth, talk to one of our advisors today.

What Injuries Could Be Sustained In A Rental E-Bike Accident

Various injuries could be sustained in a rental e-bike accident, from minor harm that heals within a few weeks to potentially life-altering and life-ending injuries.

Example injuries in e-bike accidents can include:

• Superficial injuries such as cuts and grazes, and minor bruising.
• More serious injuries, such as broken bones, damage to internal organs, and burn injuries, may occur if the battery has been damaged.
• In the most severe cases, a rider could suffer spinal or brain injuries and associated symptoms such as paralysis or epilepsy.
• Such accidents could also result in psychological distress.
• Bodily injuries can also lead to permanent scarring or facial disfigurement. 

To see whether you may be eligible to make a Lime Bike accident claim for your injuries, you can contact our advisors.

How Will Liability Be Determined In A Lime Bike Accident?

Liability can be determined in a Lime Bike accident by examining the accident and its cause. As road users, Lime Bike riders are required to obey road traffic legislation and navigate the roads in a safe manner, the same as anyone else. Lime Bike itself must also make sure their bikes are safe and fit for purpose.

See the sections below for more detailed information.

Lime Bike

Despite a user agreement stipulating that the bikes are used at the rider’s own risk, this does not void the requirements to ensure the bikes are safe, maintained and fit for purpose. For example:

• Inadequate maintenance inspections meant a fault with the brakes was not detected. The brakes failed to perform while you were riding the bike, and you crashed into the back of a car, breaking your nose and jaw. 
• Faulty batteries were installed in some bikes due to poor quality control practices. You sustained significant burn injuries when the battery in your bike caught fire during usage.

The Lime Bike Rider

There are scenarios where a Lime Bike rider could be said to contribute to their injuries (contributory negligence) or the accident (split liability) in some way. An example of each has been given here:

• Contributory negligence: a Lime Bike rider was hit by a speeding car when waiting at a junction, but was riding without a helmet. It was later determined that had they been better protected, their injuries would not have been as serious.
• Split liability: 2 Lime Bike riders crashed into one another while both were using their phones while riding, causing them each to suffer various injuries.

Other Road Users

All road users owe the same duty of care to each other. So, if another vehicle, pedestrian or horse rider does not uphold this duty, you could be injured. Such scenarios could include:

• A driver under the influence of alcohol cuts across your lane at high speed, causing you to swerve your bike and crash, breaking multiple bones.
• While reversing out of their driveway, the driver fails to adequately observe all around their vehicle and does not see you approach. They knock you off your bike, causing injuries to your left leg and arm.

Can I Still Claim If I Agreed To Lime’s User Agreement?

As we said above, user agreements do not mean Lime is permitted to provide a faulty product. If your injuries were caused by an issue with the bike itself, then Lime could be held liable for the accident.

Contact our advisors today to discuss your particular circumstances and see whether you could be eligible to make a claim.

What To Do After Being Injured On Or By A Rented Electric Bike

The key things to do after being injured on or by a rented electric bike are to protect your health and then properly report the incident. These steps have been summarised below.

Seek Medical Help

Seeking proper medical attention is of paramount importance after any accident, even if your injuries seem minor. Many injuries, such as concussion and swelling, can take some time to become apparent, so it is always best to seek medical help straight away. If any person is seriously injured, then an ambulance should be called.

Get Details

As with any road traffic collision, getting as many details as you can is always a good idea. Some things you make sure to record are:

• The serial number of the Lime Bike or bikes involved.
• The names and contact information of the driver or rider who hit you or caused you to crash.
• Contact information for potential witnesses.
• Any information on environmental conditions, such as the condition of the road, street lighting.
• Take screenshots of the trip information from the Lime Bike app.
• Photograph and video the bike, focusing on any damage or mechanical faults.

Report the Incident To The Police

A road traffic accident needs to be reported if someone was injured at the scene. Reporting a cycling accident to the police takes on greater importance if you or someone else was seriously injured, or if a road user involved in the collision fled the scene.

Report The Incident To Lime

Lime itself should also be informed. You can report incidents to their customer service using the app or website. Again, include as many details as you can and include any relevant documents.

Seek Legal Advice

You can talk to our advisors to find out more about making a claim following a Lime Bike accident. As well as offering free advice and answering your queries, our team can assess your eligibility to claim for free. Use the contact information below to speak to an advisor at a time that suits you.

Lime Bike Injury Case Studies

Now we’ve explained the ins and outs of making a Lime Bike accident claim, this section looks at 2 real-world examples of persons injured in accidents involving this type of bicycle on our streets.

Case studies:

• 83-year-old Maureen Welch was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing in Lewisham when a cyclist on a Lime Bike failed to stop at a red light and crashed into her, before fleeing the scene. Maureen suffered a severely broken leg and spent 5 weeks in hospital.
• Columnist for The Standard, Maddy Mussen, was hit by a Lime Bike when leaving the Emirates Stadium following a match in London. As with the above example, the rider didn’t stop, and Maddy was left with a substantially swollen knee. The speed, size and design of the Lime Bike all contributed to Maddy’s injuries. While Lime Bikes reach similar speeds to regular bicycles, they are much bigger and heavier, with a hard metal basket attached to the handlebars. It was the basket that first collided with Maddy and knocked her down.

Both these scenarios show a clear hazard presented by large, heavy and fast e-bikes in built-up areas. Both Maddy and Maureen were walking in areas that should have been safe, and both were subsequently injured by careless e-bike riders. To find out if you could claim for an e-bike accident in your particular circumstances, talk to our advisors today using the details given below.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70nl7np0v9o

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/lime-bikes-london-accident-collision-electric-b1209206.html

Can A No Win No Fee Solicitor Help With A Claim For A Lime Bike Accident?

Yes, a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you with a Lime Bike accident claim if you meet the eligiblity requirements. Our solicitors can offer legal services under a Conditional Fee Agreement, which comes with advantages including:

• No solicitor fees at the start of the claims process.
• There will also be no solicitor fees during the claim itself.
• No such fees to pay if the claim fails.
• A capped success fee will be paid to your solicitor if the claim succeeds.

This success fee is a legally limited percentage taken from your compensation.

In addition to representing you on a No Win No Fee basis, our solicitors could help you with:

• Gathering evidence to support your claim
• Communicating with the defending party
• Organising an independent medical assessment
• Negotiating your compensation settlement
• Explaining legal jargon used throughout the claims process

Contact Legal Expert’s Solicitors

You can reach us at any time using whatever method suits you best. Our team maintain 24/7 contact lines, so get in touch today to learn more about making a claim. You can:

• Call an advisor on 0800 073 8804.
• Contact us online by completing a form.
• Open the live chat window on your screen now.

Learn More About Cycle Road Traffic Accidents

You can read some of our road traffic accident claims guides here:

• Read our road traffic accident FAQ here.
• Find out if you could claim after being hit by a car pulling out of a driveway while cycling.
• Learn more about how much compensation for cycling accident claims could be paid out.

We have also provided a few external resources that you can see here:

• Read the CPS guidance on driving offences on their website.
• Access NHS 111 for non-emergency help and advice.
• You could be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if an accident causes you to be off work. Learn more with this government resource.

Thank you for reading this guide to making a Lime Bike accident claim.