Memphis Scooter Accident Lawyer
Most of the companies that have entered the electric scooter market are either small startups, like Bird and Lime, or piggyback on existing ridesharing apps like Lyft and JUMP. However, an alternative entrant to the e-scooter market comes from the automotive industry. Spin, which began renting bicycles in San Francisco and now rents e-scooters in many major cities, is owned and operated by Ford Motor Company.
Spin scooters have been deployed by Ford in cities like Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis, and Washington DC. Compared to their existing competitors, Spin electric scooters are supposed to be tougher, more durable, and less prone to accidents. They have larger wheels for better control and a lower center of gravity. This isn’t to say that these scooters are completely safe, however. All scooters can crash. If you’ve been injured in an accident involving a scooter, please contact the Memphis personal injury lawyer team at Patterson Bray as soon as you possibly can. The area of scooter accident law is evolving at a rapid pace in Tennessee and around the country, so it’s important to have an experienced Memphis scooter accident lawyer looking out for your best interests.
Spin Scooters – Features and Crash Risks
Unlike many other e-scooter options, Spin scooters do not use software-controlled braking to lock the vehicle after a ride. Rather, they rely on a built-in speaker which sounds an alarm and declares “PLEASE UNLOCK AND RIDE” if someone attempts to ride them. Although the motor cannot be activated while the vehicle is in a locked state, a rider who does not mind the alarm and loud message can use the scooter easily. This is a potential safety hazard for obvious reasons.
Because Spin scooters can be used even without unlocking, they carry an additional risk to casual riders who may encounter hazards while riding on sidewalks and through crosswalks. Riders are particularly susceptible to sidewalk defects. A two-inch gap or rise in a sidewalk is not only a challenge for pedestrians, but it can cause catastrophe for a scooter rider. Even the larger wheels on a Spin scooter cannot safely handle a two-inch rise in a sidewalk and can cause the front of the vehicle to stop abruptly, flinging the rider off and onto the ground.
Such accidents can result in strains and sprains, head injuries, spinal problems, and broken bones. A Memphis scooter accident lawyer can determine whether an injured rider can bring an action for damages against the owner of the defective sidewalk. After such an accident, a rider should take photographs of the scene, preferably with a scale measurement to show the size of any defects at the time of the incident. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding your accident, please don’t delay in contacting a Memphis scooter accident lawyer. The sooner you act, the sooner your legal options can be protected and explored with our firm’s assistance.