Manhattan Scooter Accident Attorney
Getting around Manhattan in a car takes ages. Especially during heavy travel times or during summer months, traffic is brutal and moves at a snail’s pace. Whether you’re headed south to the Battery or north to Central Park, you can expect to sit in heavy traffic on your way.
Heavy traffic is why so many people take scooters to get around Manhattan. Scooters have recently become a cheap and efficient way to travel short distances. The biggest benefit is that you don’t have to buy anything or maintain the scooter. You simply rent one nearby when you are ready to go and leave it at your destination.
This proximity of cars and scooters can prove dangerous, however. Many scooter riders leave the scooters on sidewalks, causing a hazard for pedestrians. Someone could sustain an injury from a scooter in multiple ways, and proving who is at fault may prove even more challenging.
If you have sustained an injury from someone else on a scooter or while riding a scooter yourself, you need to speak with an experienced Manhattan scooter accident lawyer today. Since scooters entered the marketplace a few years ago, the legal team at Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, has set out to help scooter accident victims recover maximum compensation for their injuries.
Scooters Are Suddenly Everywhere
Popular scooters have found their way onto Manhattan streets. You have probably seen some lying around your neighborhood. Bird and Lime are the most popular brands, but more are popping up every day.
Scooters are legal in New York City. Before 2020, there was a battle over whether scooters-use by residents and tourists would be legally allowed. That was since put to rest, and scooter use is now legal.
Just because the scooters are legal, however, does not mean that other drivers know to watch out for them. Moreover, the scooter companies provide no training and allow anyone with the app to rent their scooters. When a rider is done with the trip, the rider simply leaves the scooter somewhere and departs—potentially creating a tripping hazard for pedestrians.
Scooter Dangers
Scooter use presents many dangers for pedestrians and scooter riders alike. Scooters are small, unstable vehicles, and they do not protect riders in an accident with a pedestrian or car.
This can cause traumatic, lifelong injuries. Because a scooter is unstable and on two wheels, riders are more likely to fall off. This commonly results in head injuries, as evidenced by a stark increase in hospital visits for scooter accident head injuries.
Scooters are also small and harder for vehicles to see. If you are riding on a scooter along a neighborhood street, other cars may not see you and may collide with you. While these incidents might occur at slow speeds, the resulting injuries may still prove catastrophic. Without a helmet or other protection provided by the scooter, your body takes the full brunt of the impact. Whether that impact is with a car or the ground, your body suffers the damage. This can result in serious injuries that may take a long time, or even a lifetime, from which to recover.
If this happens to you, your ability to get better and get back to your regular life can depend on collecting money from the at-fault party. Without this money, you may struggle to get the medical attention and care that you deserve.
Causes of Scooter Accidents
Scooter accidents have many causes. Most center on human error. As a scooter rider, your most dangerous encounters will occur with a negligent car driver.
Common causes of scooter accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Speeding
- Failure to yield
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Manufacturer defect
- Part defect
When you get on a scooter, you expect the scooter to remain in good working order. If a wheel falls off or the brakes don’t work, those problems could cause you serious harm, and those problems are no fault of your own.
Whether you suffer injury because a car did not see you while on the scooter or because the scooter malfunctioned in some way, you may qualify to collect compensation from the negligent party. But first, you have to determine who is to blame. You do that by partnering with a skilled Manhattan scooter accident attorney who can investigate your accident and determine the exact cause.
Common Injuries
Depending on the exact cause of your accident, your injuries may vary. Because your body does not get protection from any impact with a car or the ground, you are more likely to sustain severe injuries.
Common injuries include:
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Concussions
- Other traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Dislocated joints
- Sprains and strains
- Paralysis
When you get into a scooter accident in Manhattan, do not ignore your injuries. At the moment, your adrenaline may be pumping and might mask your pain. Most people want to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. That could end up causing you more harm.
To help you recover from your injuries, Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, can investigate your accident and work toward getting you maximum compensation for your scooter accident injuries. When you work with a knowledgeable Manhattan scooter accident lawyer, you can focus all of your effort and energy on your health and well-being while your lawyer focuses on the legal complexities ahead.
Steps to Take After a Scooter Accident
The steps you take immediately after a scooter accident in Manhattan can make a difference in your ability to recover physically and financially.
To help you take the right steps, follow this guide:
- Call 911. Immediately after your scooter accident, call 911. This will send emergency medical personnel to your accident scene. They will conduct a thorough medical evaluation and determine if you need additional medical care at the hospital. Your top priority is your health.
- Get a police accident report. Calling 911 will also send the police to your accident scene. The police will speak with witnesses and everyone involved in the accident. Officers compile this information in a police accident report. While they may not assign fault in this report, they will diagram how the accident occurred and provide details about what each person said in the aftermath. This police accident report may prove crucial to proving that someone else is to blame for your scooter accident.
- Speak with witnesses. Witnesses often provide unique insight into the seconds leading up to a scooter accident. They may help determine how the accident happened and who is to blame. Not all witnesses will wait for the police to arrive to give their account of your accident, however. This is why you should at least get the witnesses’ contact information so that your legal team can speak with them later about what they saw. Their perspective may prove vital to winning your case.
- Take pictures and video. If your injuries are severe, you may struggle to take this step, so ask a trusted friend or family member to do so. You want to get images and video of the entire accident scene, the scooter, any other vehicles involved, and your injuries. Documenting this evidence immediately after your accident can provide crucial insight into what caused your accident and your injuries’ severity.
- See your regular doctor. Even if emergency medical personnel clear you at the accident scene, go see your regular doctor as soon as possible. Your physician knows you better than anyone and will quickly determine how your scooter accident injuries have changed your ability to go about your daily life. Any change in your routine or your ability to care for yourself may increase the value of your case.
- Keep records. Your doctor will keep detailed records of your health and may also oversee your recovery process. Keeping copies of these records will prove invaluable to your legal team. You should also keep copies of any police records and insurance records that you receive. Your lawyer will want to review all of this information.
- Keep a journal. Writing in a journal each day can paint a detailed picture of how your life has changed. Write about your pain level, what obstacles you faced that day, what you did on your own and what you needed help with, what medication you took, and whether you could work. Over time, you will not recall every hurdle that you’ve faced during your recovery, but this information can help you collect compensation from the person who caused your injuries. Keeping a journal can help show exactly how your life has changed since your scooter accident.
- Contact Jacoby & Meyers, LLP. The lawyer you choose can make a difference in your ability to recover maximum compensation. The last thing you want at this time is to end up paying out of pocket for medical expenses resulting from your scooter accident. As trusted legal advisors in Manhattan, the legal team at Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, has the experience you need to help you hold the negligent party responsible for your accident accountable for your injuries and expenses.
Recovering Compensation
The money that you can recover from your Manhattan scooter accident depends on:
- The amount of time that you spend out of work
- The surgeries or medical procedures that you require
- Time spent in the hospital
- Time spent in a facility for rehabilitation
- Ongoing medical needs
- Your ability to recover from your injuries
Each of these items will require a great deal of time and effort on your part. Making a complete recovery from your injuries may require intense focus. That may also require a great deal of time out of work, causing additional stress and worry over how to pay your regular bills.
Your lawyer will attempt to recover compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Present and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation costs
The more severe your injuries, the higher your medical bills and the more time you will spend out of work. These extreme medical bills often send people spiraling into financial ruin, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
When you cannot work because of your scooter accident injuries, even if just for a short time, that affects your ability to pay your regular bills. An inability to work for longer will severely impact your overall financial health. Going without just one paycheck can put people into financial hardship.
If this happens, your family may feel unnecessary stress and pressure to take on additional jobs or work overtime to cover the financial loss while you cannot work.
That’s not your family’s burden to bear. Covering your medical bills and your financial losses is the sole responsibility of the negligent person who caused your Manhattan scooter accident. Your lawyer can help you hold this party accountable and work toward collecting maximum compensation for your injuries.
“I had an amazing experience with Jacoby & Meyers, LLP. I would highly recommend them for anyone needing a law firm.” -Paul T.
★★★★★
Common Questions From Manhattan Scooter Accident Victims
Finding a convenient, safe, and cost-effective way to get around Manhattan is often difficult. Scooters, however, are rising in popularity and provide a convenient and cost-effective means of transportation. Whether they are safe is another story.
Because scooters provide riders with little to no protection, if you suffer injuries while on a scooter, your injuries could prove severe, even life-threatening. Recovering from these severe injuries may take a great deal of time and require intensive medical care. You may worry about how you will cover those expenses.
It is crucial to your recovery that you speak with an experienced Manhattan scooter accident lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. Your lawyer can help you focus on your health by shouldering the burden of navigating the legal process, all to collect maximum compensation for you.
After a scooter accident, you may feel unsure of what happens next. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we get from prospective clients. If you have more questions or want answers specific to your Manhattan scooter accident, contact Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, today.
What counts as a scooter in Manhattan?
Growing up, you may have had a scooter. Your scooter, however, was probably not motorized and likely required you to push your foot on the ground, much like a skateboard.
Today’s scooters have electric motors. Brands like Bird and Lime have popularized the shared-scooter business model, which allows you to pick up a shared scooter for a few bucks, ride to your destination, and leave the scooter wherever you end up.
This is extremely convenient, but there is no requirement for anyone to know how to ride a scooter. Because scooters can move quickly, up to 15 miles per hour in some cases, the dangers are real.
If drivers are not paying attention to the road, they could easily hit you while you ride a scooter. Even at a slow speed, this impact could knock you off the scooter, sending your body tumbling to the ground, causing serious injuries.
Who is at fault for my Manhattanscooter accident?
To prove that someone else is at fault for your scooter accident, you need to show that certain elements existed.
Your lawyer can help you prove your case by showing:
- The at-fault driver owed you a duty of care to drive reasonably safely and not collide with you.
- The driver breached the duty of care by driving in an unsafe or reckless manner.
- The driver’s reckless disregard for your safety caused an accident.
- You suffered injuries in the accident.
Your lawyer will use the evidence collected during his or her investigation of your Manhattan scooter accident to hold the negligent driver liable for your accident and subsequent injuries. The driver, however, is not the only party that may face responsibility for your accident.
Other potential liability could fall on:
- Scooter company
- Scooter manufacturer
- Scooter part manufacturer
- Maintenance company
- Governmental agency
More than one person or entity could have caused your scooter accident. To find out exactly who is to blame, your lawyer will conduct a thorough investigation of your scooter accident. Your lawyer’s determination will help to ensure that you recover maximum compensation and do not pay a penny out of your own pocket for your medical expenses and financial losses.
How much money can I get for my Manhattan scooter accident?
Every scooter accident victim wants to know the answer to this question.
Some injuries will prove so severe that you may struggle to make a complete recovery. You may require a lifetime of medical care and attention. You may need to spend time in a physical rehabilitation facility.
Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries are common results after a scooter accident. The average daily cost of recovering from a traumatic brain injury is about $1,600. This extreme cost may prove challenging to cover for even the most financially stable individuals.
To cover this cost, you need to collect compensation from the person who caused your injuries. That means working with a skilled Manhattan scooter accident lawyer.
I was injured on a scooter, but I wasn’t wearing a helmet. Does that mean I cannot recover damages?
While wearing a helmet is a good idea when you are riding a scooter, just because you didn’t wear one at the time of your accident does not mean that you can’t file a claim.
When you rented the scooter through the app on your phone, you may have agreed to wear a helmet while riding the scooter. If you did not wear the helmet, that may reduce the amount of money you can recover. Regardless, if someone else caused your scooter accident and injuries, you can still attempt to recover damages from the at-fault party, even if you did not wear a helmet.
Do I have to file a lawsuit?
To prove that someone else caused your Manhattan scooter accident and that you suffered injuries, you need to file a scooter accident claim to seek damages. Your legal representative can do this for you by investigating your accident, collecting relevant evidence, and showing that someone else’s negligence caused your injuries.
Giving your lawyer ample time to do all of this is vital to the success of your claim. Your lawyer will need to speak with witnesses. The longer you go before you contact a lawyer, the more likely it is that witnesses will forget what they saw or not remember as clearly. Give yourself the best chance of making a full recovery by speaking with a knowledgeable Manhattan scooter accident lawyer today.
I don’t want to go to court. What are the chances I will need to?
When your lawyer files your scooter accident injury claim, he or she will almost immediately begin settlement negotiations on your behalf. As with other civil cases, most Manhattan scooter accident lawsuits settle out of court.
Be aware that not every settlement offer is in your best interest, especially the initial offers that you receive without legal representation. While rare, you may need to take your case to trial to recover maximum compensation.
To prepare for this, you need to partner with a Manhattan scooter accident attorney who has proven experience helping scooter accident victims successfully recover compensation at trial. A lawyer with experience is better equipped to represent you in complex litigation.
You may suffer medically complex injuries and may require an enormous amount of money. This complexity can make it more difficult to get a fair settlement. If that happens, you do not want any delay before going to court. If you have to get a new lawyer because your first lawyer does not go to trial, that could seriously delay the amount of time before you get compensation in your hands.
At Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, we have helped many scooter accident victims recover compensation for their injuries by getting a fair settlement and by taking cases to trial. We know you want to put this experience behind you quickly, and that’s why we aggressively negotiate with the insurance company to settle your case. If the company refuses to settle for a fair and reasonable amount, however, we are fully prepared to take your case to trial to pursue maximum compensation.
How long before I get my money?
While your biggest concern is your health and well-being, your ability to pay for your medical care and cover your regular expenses is also important. This may also worry you, taking your attention away from your physical recovery.
Generally, the more complex and serious your injuries, the longer it will take.
This should not scare you away from filing a lawsuit. You need the money, even if it comes later. Your ability to recover from your injuries and get back to your regular life can depend on whether you collect compensation from the negligent party.
I was offered a settlement. Should I accept it?
Soon after your Manhattan scooter accident, you may receive a call from the insurance company representing the at-fault driver. This might excite you and give you hope that you can finally put the legal issues behind you and focus on getting better.
When you receive a quick settlement, you should proceed with caution. You should also proceed with a seasoned scooter accident lawyer in Manhattan at your side.
The insurance company likely made you a quick offer, but this is not because the company wants to help you. It made you the offer to try and get you to settle for as little as possible. The initial settlement offer is probably a lowball offer and is most certainly in the best interest of the insurance company, not you.
If you decide to take the settlement offer, you will waive your right to bring any future claims for this scooter accident. So when you still have medical bills to pay, but the settlement funds have run dry, you will be out of luck. You will be on the hook for your bills.
You can avoid this tragic situation by working with a trusted Manhattan scooter accident lawyer. Your lawyer will have your best interests in mind and will aggressively negotiate with the insurance company to get you maximum compensation. Your ability to recover from your injuries can depend on the legal advocate you choose.
How much time do I have to decide whether to file a lawsuit?
You may want to take time to consider whether to file a lawsuit against the negligent driver, but you cannot wait too long. Due to New York’s statute of limitations, you generally only have three years to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party in a Manhattan scooter accident case.
That might seem like a long time, but it will pass before you know it. If you let this time pass without filing a claim, you cannot recover compensation from the person who caused your injuries.
You can avoid this by speaking with a Manhattan scooter accident lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. While you follow your doctor’s orders and work to get better, your lawyer will begin his or her investigation into your accident, collecting evidence to help prove your case. Your lawyer needs time to do that, so waiting too long only hinders your legal representative’s ability to fully investigate your claim. The sooner you speak with a lawyer, the sooner you can get the money you need to help you recover from your scooter accident injuries.
What can your Manhattan scooter accident lawyers do for me?
Manhattan Scooter Accident Lawyer, Andrew Finkelstein
The right scooter accident lawyer in Manhattan can look out for your best interests, investigate your accident to determine who is at fault—even if that is more than one party—and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to quickly and fairly settle your case and get money in your pocket.
Focus your efforts on getting better, recovering from your injuries, and getting back to your regular life. While you do that, your legal team will fight to protect your rights and recover maximum damages on your behalf.
Contact Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, today to find out how we can help you get back on your feet.
Speak With Our Manhattan Scooter Accident Lawyers Today
Your ability to recover from your scooter accident injuries may depend on the lawyer you choose. Picking a personal injury lawyer may not be at the top of your mind, but it is crucial to pay for the medical attention and care you need. Without a lawyer fighting to protect your rights and working to collect maximum damages, you may end up paying out of pocket for your costly medical expenses and shouldering the burden of your financial losses from missing work.
It does not have to be that way; you can choose a different path. You can choose a path where your only concern is getting better. That happens when you partner with an aggressive Manhattan scooter accident lawyer at Jacoby & Meyers, LLP.
At Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, we work diligently for scooter accident victims like you. Our goal is to collect maximum compensation, so your only worry is getting back to your regular life. Contact us today, dial (212) 445-7000, or start a webchat with us to find out how we can help you move forward.
Manhattan Office
39 Broadway
Suite 1910
New York, NY 10006
212-445-7000