Were you or a loved one injured in an accident involving a scooter in Kentucky? You may be entitled to significant financial compensation. An experienced Kentucky scooter accident lawyer at Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC can help you secure compensation for medical bills, lost earnings, and your pain and suffering.
Our trusted trial lawyers have over 70 years of experience fighting for accident victims across the Bluegrass state. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in fair compensation over the years.
Your recovery should be your top priority. Our lawyers can handle the rest. Call our law offices in Kentucky at (859) 550-2900 to schedule a free consultation today.
How Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC Can Help After a Scooter Accident in Kentucky
Scooter rentals offer a fun and convenient way to get around cities in KY. Unfortunately, they aren’t always the safest transportation option. Like bicyclists and pedestrians, scooter riders have little protection in an accident – even if they wear a helmet. They often suffer serious injuries.
Getting fair compensation after a scooter wreck can be an uphill battle. You’ll have to identify everyone who was responsible for the accident–and offer evidence about your case value. Our personal injury attorneys founded Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC to help accident victims like you.
We have decades of experience handling complex injury claims. We’ve also been recognized by Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America – and achieved a top ranking with the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell rating service.
Hire us, and you’ll have a lawyer to:
- Collect all evidence about your accident
- Handle all communications with the insurance company and defense lawyers
- Locate all responsible parties
- Evaluate the value of your personal injury claim
- Consult respected experts and specialists about complex issues in your case
- Negotiate on your behalf to recover the maximum compensation you deserve
Our experienced Kentucky personal injury attorneys know the stakes are high. We won’t back down until we get an acceptable settlement. If the insurer won’t play fair, our trial lawyers will fight to protect you in court.
Get started today by calling our law firm for a free consultation.
How Common Are Scooter Accidents in Kentucky?
Over the past few years, companies like Lime, Spin, and Bird have launched electric scooter rentals in many major cities, including Lexington and Louisville. E-scooters have surged in popularity in Kentucky and across the U.S. during that time. Unfortunately, scooter accidents and injuries are also on the rise.
Rental companies allow riders to rent scooters using an app and drop them off in locations around the city. While the system is convenient, there are many different ways to get hurt.
Electric scooter accidents often involve:
- Defective scooters
- Car accidents caused by negligent motorists
- Pedestrians who are struck by careless scooter drivers
At least 86 million riders took scooter rides nationwide during 2019 alone. Unfortunately, between 2017 and 2019, an estimated 50,000 people visited the emergency room with scooter accident injuries. 27 fatalities were also reported.
What is My Kentucky Scooter Accident Case Worth?
You’ll only have one chance to recover compensation if you were injured in an accident. Because of that, it’s important to carefully evaluate your claim before accepting any settlement. Without knowing how much your case is worth, you risk taking less than you deserve.
The value of a personal injury claim depends on many factors, including:
- The cost of your medical treatment
- Your lost wages and the duration of your recovery
- Your physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Damage to your quality of life
- The strength of your negligence claim
- Whether you share any blame for the accident
Insurance companies often offer lowball settlements to accident victims in the beginning. They do that because it isn’t easy to know how much your case is worth without an experienced lawyer by your side. Our lawyers can help. To learn more about the benefits of legal representation, call our law offices for a free case evaluation today.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Scooter Accident Victims?
Every personal injury case comes with a unique set of damages. Kentucky personal injury laws allow victims to seek compensation for economic and non-economic losses. Economic damages cover your financial losses, like medical bills. Non-economic damages compensate for personal and subjective losses, like pain and suffering.
After a scooter accident, you may be entitled to compensation for:
- All past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing care
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Loss of consortium
- Workers’ compensation benefits, if you were hurt on the job
Our lawyers will work hard to identify the types of damages you’ve sustained in the crash. For more information, call Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC for a free initial consultation today.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Scooter Accident in Kentucky?
Accident victims in Kentucky can recover damages even if they’re partly to blame for an accident. Kentucky follows a pure comparative negligence rule. Financial responsibility is allocated between all responsible parties after an accident.
Scooters are relatively new to the state. As in motorcycle accident cases, it’s likely that the insurance company will try to find a way to blame you for the accident. If they succeed, your compensation will be reduced in direct proportion to your share of fault.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Kentucky Scooter Accident Injuries
Scooter accident victims can suffer a wide range of injuries. Some of the most common injuries sustained in an electric scooter accident include:
- Broken bones
- Head injuries and concussions
- Soft tissue damage
- Knee injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck injuries
- Nerve damage
- Cuts and lacerations
- Back injuries
- Internal injuries
- Burns and road rash
- Amputations or loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
The most severe scooter injuries tend to occur when the scooter is hit by a motor vehicle. If you or a loved one were injured, reach out to our Kentucky scooter accident attorneys today.
What Causes Most Scooter Accidents in Kentucky?
Cities across Kentucky have worked to implement and enforce safety regulations to keep scooter riders and others safe. All scooter operators are required to have a valid driver’s license. Generally, scooters are subject to the same rules that apply to bicycles.
However, not everyone follows the rules. There are a number of different factors that can cause a scooter accident in Kentucky.
Some of the most common causes of scooter accidents include:
- Inexperienced operators
- Reckless driving, especially on sidewalks
- Failure to use designated bike lanes
- Lack of designated infrastructure and bicycle lanes
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Failure to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and bicyclists
- Leaving scooters parked in unsafe locations where pedestrians might slip and fall
- Riding double on the scooter
- Defective scooter components
- Aggressive driving
- Unsafe passing
- Dangerous turns
- Failure to obey traffic signals
- Drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs
- Hazardous road conditions, including potholes and crumbling pavement
- “Dooring” where a car door is opened into the scooter
Multiple parties might share liability for a scooter crash in Kentucky. Responsible parties could include negligent drivers, pedestrians, and even the companies responsible for maintaining the scooter. In cases involving defective scooter equipment, the product manufacturer may be liable for damages.
To know who was responsible, you’ll have to know what caused the accident. Our lawyers at Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC can help you get to the bottom of it. To learn more about how we can help, call for a free case review today.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Scooter Accident in Kentucky?
Most scooter and auto accidents occur because someone was negligent. In legal terms, negligence means:
- The responsible party owed you a legal duty of care
- The defendant breached the duty of care
- The breach was the cause of your accident
- The accident resulted in damages
Many different types of evidence can be used to prove negligence. While you focus on recovering, our lawyers will conduct an investigation into the crash.
We’ll locate any:
- Police and accident reports
- Video surveillance footage from businesses or dash cams
- Photographs of the crash scene
- Eyewitnesses
- Medical records
- Records detailing scooter inspections and maintenance
- Records of prior problems with the scooter
If the scooter was defective, you could have a strict liability claim against the Bird scooter manufacturer.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Scooter Accident in Kentucky?
The statute of limitations in Kentucky personal injury cases is only one year. You’ll only have one year from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Wait too long, and you’ll lose your right to compensation entirely.
Contact a Kentucky Scooter Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Many riders have sustained injuries on scooters since they were introduced across Kentucky. If you were injured, call Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC right away. An experienced Kentucky scooter accident lawyer will get to work on your case immediately to protect your right to compensation.