Electric scooters may be defective according to lawsuit

If you ride an electric scooter, you need to keep reading. These scooters can be very dangerous products. There is no question these scooters can seriously injure or kill someone. They go just fast enough to really hurt the rider, and yet may not even be sturdy enough for the rider in the first place. Doctors are seeing more and more injuries caused by all kinds of these electric scooters. These electric scooters won’t be safer until people start reporting the issues and injuries they get while using them.

Electric scooters’ popularity is overshadowed by safety risks

The growing popularity of electric scooters is undeniable. We’re seeing them in Austin, to San Francisco, to New York. Prices range from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand. Some are for intended for “teens” and some are even rentable by the hour in certain cities.

So that means anyone in this country who is looking for an alternative or cheaper mode of transportation are checking out these electric scooters and could probably afford to use one at some point. The problem is that these scooters can be very dangerous products, no matter how affordable.

The SE Texas Record has written an article covering our lawsuits that we filed this past summer against scooter manufacturer, Urban626, LLC. The lawsuit alleges that URB-E scooters are defective, stating:

• “While riding (the scooter), the subject scooter folded while in motion due to the lack of a locking mechanism preventing the scooter from folding while in use.”
• “The collapse of the scooter mid-ride caused Ms. McCutcheon to fall hard, causing her severe injuries.”
• Urban626 knew the scooter “had various defects with respect to its safety, and was not suitable for any use, thereby posing a serious threat of injury or death to its customers.”

These scooters are just one make and model that have been sold with defects. Demand for a lightweight, fast, and affordable mode of transportation has resulted in these products going on the market before going through rigorous safety tests. Our client was riding the URB-E Sport GT, an Urban626 scooter, at the time she was injured. The URB-E Sport GT does not have any locking mechanism. There is no way to prevent this scooter from folding while someone is riding it, which is what happened to Ms. McCutcheon.

Experts predict electric scooters will cause an increase in injuries

Twenty-five percent of scooter injuries affect the head and the face. As with our client, faceplanting because of scooter defects is causing a quarter of all scooter injuries. Experts and doctors across the country are seeing an increase in scooter injuries as rental companies pop up in towns and cities everywhere. The chief of emergency medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Dr. Chris Colwell, told the New York Times that, “I’m quite confident that we were seeing five to 10 injuries from this a week, and I’m probably underestimating that. We saw one or zero a month before the increase in electric scooters.”

One hospital in Salt Lake City has seen a 161% increase in the number of visits involving scooters compared to the same three month period the prior year. While scooter companies keep repeating that safety is a top priority, the results are saying something else entirely.

Companies are racing to dominate the e-scooter ridesharing market. This means there is a high probability they are cutting corners on both hardware and software. It’s a pattern regularly repeated with new consumer technology: sell it first, ask questions later.

This is, of course, backward. When health and safety is on the line, it is crucial that one company’s legitimate right to come up with a handy new product (and a money-making scheme) doesn’t infringe on your right to move freely in public spaces without fear of serious injury.

If you have been injured by an electric scooter, you have the right to hold the company accountable for their safety failures. To find out more about your legal rights and how we can help you, contact us now at 877-724-7800 or fill out a contact form.