Tampa Electric Scooter Accident Lawyer

Were you injured in an accident involving an electric scooter in Tampa, Florida? You may be entitled to significant money for your medical bills, lost wages, and other costly damages. Let an experienced Tampa electric scooter accident lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers help you fight for the compensation you deserve. 

Our lawyers have over 75 years of experience helping injury victims of Tampa sexual assaults, Uber accidents, taxi accidents, Tampa catastrophic injuries, boating accidents, and more. We’ve recovered over $100 million in compensation for our injured clients across the Tampa Bay area.

Your recovery should be your top priority. Call our law offices in Tampa, Florida at (813) 686-7588 to schedule a free consultation with a lawyer who can handle the legal battle after your crash.

How Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Electric Scooter Accident in Tampa

How Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Electric Scooter Accident in Tampa

Electric scooters are popular, but they’re still relatively new to Tampa. If you were hurt in an accident, you might not know how to recover fair compensation for your injuries. Our Tampa injury lawyers at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers have the experience and resources to get you the money you deserve.

Our lawyers have been widely recognized for our success over the years. We’ve been listed among Tampa Bay’s Top Trial Lawyers. We’ve also earned a perfect-10 AVVO rating and obtained membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

When you choose our AV-rated law firm, you’ll gain a lawyer to:

  • Gather evidence from the accident scene
  • Examine police reports, medical records, and other evidence
  • Handle all communications with the insurance companies and defense lawyers
  • Negotiate on your behalf to maximize your settlement or verdict
  • Advocate for your rights at trial if necessary to win fair compensation

We’ve offered high-quality legal representation to accident victims since 1996. We work on a contingency fee basis–so you won’t have to pay attorneys’ fees unless we win for you first.

Do you have questions about your legal options? Call our Tampa personal injury attorneys for a free consultation today.

How Common Are Electric Scooter Accidents in Tampa, FL?

Over the past few years, e-scooter rental companies such as Lime, Bird, Spin, and Jump have popped up around Tampa. Current data on electric scooter accidents isn’t easy to locate. 

As of 2019, more than 250,000 people had taken e-scooter rides in Tampa. While the use of electric scooters dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, their popularity is once again on the rise. E-scooter rental companies have even increased their electric scooter inventory in Tampa.

While e-scooters are convenient and cost-effective, they aren’t always the safest way to get around. According to a study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Division, about 50,000 electric scooter accident victims visited the emergency room between 2017 and 2019. 27 people were killed in e-scooter accidents during that period. At least one of those fatal accidents was in Tampa.

What is My Tampa Electric Scooter Accident Case Worth?

Before agreeing to a settlement, it’s important to know how much your personal injury case is worth. Every electric scooter accident claim is different–so it can be hard to put a dollar value on your injuries without first speaking with a lawyer.

Many factors must be considered before filing a claim with the insurance company, including:

  • The type and severity of your injuries
  • The cost of medical treatment, rehabilitation, and other treatments
  • The value of your lost wages and the impact of the injury on your future earnings
  • Damage to your quality of life
  • Whether you’ll suffer a permanent disability

Our lawyers in Tampa often bring in specialists and experts to help with the valuation process. Their opinions can give important insight about your future expenses–and the “dollar value” of your pain, suffering, and inconvenience.

What Types of Damages Are Available to Electric Scooter Accident Victims?

Just like a car accident victim, electric scooter accident victims are entitled to full compensation when someone else injures them. Florida personal injury laws divide damages into two categories: economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages reimburse victims for out-of-pocket expenses, including:

  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Lost earnings 
  • Diminished future earning potential
  • Physical therapy
  • Rehabilitation 
  • Property damage

Non-economic damages are often called “pain and suffering” damages. These losses include:

Some scooter accident victims succumb to their injuries. In these cases, personal injury laws offer additional damages for wrongful death.

Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for an Electric Scooter Accident in Florida?

Electric scooter riders have certain responsibilities. Under Tampa law, e-scooter drivers are required to:

  • Obey all traffic laws
  • Yield to pedestrians
  • Signal before passing a pedestrian
  • Not carry passengers
  • Not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Return e-scooters to designated areas
  • Avoid blocking sidewalks, parking spaces, and entryways

Often, people who rent e-scooters are seen zipping down the sidewalks and weaving between pedestrians. They’re often viewed as reckless drivers. It’s not surprising that the insurance company would try to pin some of the blame for an accident on the e-scooter rider.

Under Florida’s modified comparative fault laws, you don’t lose your right to seek damages if you’re 50% or less responsible for an accident. Instead, liability is allocated between all parties who were involved. If you share 50% or less fault, your damages will be reduced according to your own percentage of blame. However, if your portion of negligence exceeds 50%, you’re barred from recovering monetary damages.

You should take allegations of comparative fault seriously. You could end up walking away with much less money than you deserve — or nothing at all. Our Tampa electric scooter accident attorneys can evaluate any accusations that you caused the accident. We can help you fight to reduce the impact of these shared fault rules.

We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Electric Scooter Accident Injuries

Tampa e-scooter riders are encouraged to wear helmets–but helmets aren’t strictly required by law. Because electric scooter riders don’t have much protection in an accident, they often suffer serious injuries.

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we often represent clients who have sustained:

Motorized scooters aren’t always easy to control. Don’t hesitate to reach out for legal advice today if you were injured. We offer a free initial consultation, so there’s absolutely no risk in learning more about your legal rights.

What Causes Most Electric Scooter Accidents in Tampa, Florida?

E-scooter drivers in Tampa are required to have a valid driver’s license. Still, many crashes are caused by inexperienced drivers.

Some of the most common causes of electric scooter accidents include:

  • Excessive speeds for the circumstances
  • Failure to use dedicated bike lanes
  • Distracted driving
  • Failure to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians or bicyclists
  • Parking the scooter where pedestrians might trip and fall over it
  • Riding with a passenger on the scooter
  • Aggressive driving maneuvers
  • Violating traffic laws
  • Dangerous passing
  • Passing too close to pedestrians
  • Dangerous turns
  • Running red lights or stop signs
  • Getting hit by a vehicle’s door while riding by
  • Drunk driving
  • Driving under the influence of drugs
  • Defects with the e-scooter brakes or safety features
  • Cracked and broken pavement
  • Potholes and other road hazards

To recover compensation, you’ll need to identify the cause of the accident. Remember, multiple negligent parties can be held liable. 

Examples of responsible parties include:

  • The electric scooter rental company
  • Pedestrians
  • Bicyclists 
  • Drivers 
  • The city of Tampa or another government entity

Our lawyers can help you find the proof you need. Just call our law firm to schedule a free case review today.

How Do I Prove Negligence After an Electric Scooter Accident in Florida? 

Most lawsuits are based on negligence. Negligence means that:

  • The responsible party owed you a duty of care
  • A breach of duty occurred
  • The breach caused your e-scooter crash
  • You suffered damages because of the accident

Our lawyers can help you find the proof you need. That might include:

  • Surveillance footage from nearby businesses
  • Photos and videos of where the accident occurred
  • Eyewitness testimony about what happened
  • Evidence from the accident scene
  • Information about the e-scooter company’s history of safety violations

If the accident happened because of a defective scooter, the manufacturer may even be strictly liable for damages.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After an Electric Scooter Accident in Florida?

Under Florida law, the statute of limitations gives accident victims two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you miss the two-year deadline, you also lose your right to compensation.

Historically, the state of Florida gave you four years to file personal injury lawsuits, but the law changed on March 24, 2023. Therefore, if the Tampa e-scooter accident occurred after that date, your lawsuit must be filed within two years.

If you’ve been involved in an accident, the clock has already started running. Give our law offices a call to preserve your legal rights today.

Contact a Tampa Electric Scooter Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Don’t wait to seek legal advice if you were hurt in an accident in Tampa or St. Petersburg. Call an experienced Tampa electric scooter accident lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule your free initial consultation today.

Our personal injury law firm in Tampa also provides: