Denver Scooter Accident Lawyer
If you suffered injuries due to an electric scooter accident, you may have a case to recover medical bills, lost wages and other compensation. Contact the Denver electric scooter accident lawyers at Front Range Injury Attorneys for a free case review.
Our experienced Denver personal injury lawyers pursue drivers who injure victims of e-scooter accidents across Colorado. Electric scooters are growing in popularity with an estimated 2,000 scooters from rideshare companies like Bird and Lime in Denver alone. Denver area emergency rooms indicate electric scooter accidents result in injuries daily.
Electric scooter accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries resulting in significant medical bills, lost wages and other damages. Clients choose Front Range Injury Attorneys to help them get compensation for our expertise and experience dealing with scooter accident injuries.
Why Choose Front Range Injury Attorneys?
No Fee Unless You Win
Our law firm represents clients on a contingency fee basis. That means you don't pay us until we recover on your case.
Expertise with your scooter accident injuries in Denver
Our Denver scooter accident lawyers understand your injuries and how to tell your story to the insurance company or a jury.
Client communication is key
We maintain communication with you through your case. We want you to know what's going on with your case and the work we're doing for you.
How our lawyers can help you
Watch this video to see managing attorney Adam Kielich discuss Denver e-scooter accidents and how our law firm can help you recover for your losses.
Contact our office to discuss your Denver, Colorado electric scooter accident case. We offer free case reviews with our attorneys for injury and accident cases across the state.
Tell us about your case
Denver, Colorado electric scooter laws
Denver, like many other cities in Colorado, regulates e-scooters on roads and sidewalks. Improperly operated or operated in unsafe conditions often lead to dangerous accidents. Most electric scooters in Denver are low power scooters. These include scooters with:
- Three or fewer wheels
- Engine or electric motor (rather than propelled by the rider)
- No manual clutch
- Powered by less than 4476 watts or a 50cc engine
This includes most rideshare scooters like Bird and Lyft scooters.
Colorado electric scooter laws regulate where and how you can ride an e-scooter. Cities like Denver also passed municipal ordinances regulating scooters. Denver scooter ordinances limit where you can ride an e-scooter and require following the rules of the road when riding on a roadway.
Whether a Denver scooter accident occurred in a place the rider had legal right to ride and whether the rider operated within the rules of the road are often issues in a scooter accident case. You need a Denver scooter accident lawyer who knows how to fight for your case.
Are e-scooters dangerous to ride in Denver?
Scooter accidents are increasingly common in Colorado. The more e-scooters on the road, the more Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and other cities in our state see people seriously hurt. Electric scooters are not inherently dangerous but unsafe operation can make them dangerous.
Many people do not know the laws and Denver ordinances involving these vehicles. This can lead to accidents because riders do not follow the rules of the road. It also causes injuries due to automobile driver negligence. Electric scooters, especially from Lime and Bird, can travel as much as 15 mph, which is fast enough to cause serious injuries in an accident. There are more than 2000 Lime and Bird scooters in Denver alone.
Additionally, many car and truck drivers do not pay attention to small vehicles. A scooter rider with the right of way may get struck by a driver who did not see you. For many drivers, a scooter rider is invisible.
Colorado law does not require adult riders to wear helmets or other safety gear. That leads to severe head trauma and brain injuries in Denver e-scooter accidents. Our attorneys help victims recover compensation for brain injuries and other catastrophic injuries.
Common injuries in Colorado scooter accidents
Electric scooter accidents can lead to severe injuries. These accident injuries are similar to other vehicles like bicycles and skateboards. Unlike bicycles, riders often do not wear helmets, leading to more serious injuries. Common accident injuries in Denver, Colorado include:
- Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries to the neck and back
- Fractures and broken bones
- Lacerations, road rash and disfigurement
- Facial injuries including eye injuries
- Amputation
- Serious injuries to major joints such as knees, wrists and elbows
Colorado scooter accident injuries can be unpredictable. Riders may suffer injuries from collisions with a vehicle, falling on the road, bracing for impact and ejection off the scooter. There may be several points of impact causing accident injury to the rider. The lack of safety equipment makes injuries more likely in a crash. According to a recent study, more than 30% of scooter accident injuries involve traumatic brain injuries. 25% of accident injuries required surgery. These are not minor accidents.
Negligence in Denver e-scooter accidents
Most personal injury cases for e-scooter accidents involve legal negligence claims. Negligence under Colorado personal injury law involves elements your accident attorney must prove to obtain compensation. The elements of a negligence claim include:
- Defendant owed the victim a duty of care
- Defendant breached that duty
- The breach caused the victim harm
- The harm resulted in legal damages
What damages can your lawyer help you recover in a Denver accident lawsuit?
Economic damages
Economic damages include actual monetarily losses you suffer due to your accident injuries. These include medical bills, lost wages, out of pocket medical expenses and loss of earning potential. Economic damages rely upon evidence like bills and paychecks to determine the amount of monetary losses.Non-economic damages
Non-economic damages are damages you experience due to your accident injuries that are not financial in nature. These include pain and suffering, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish and emotional distress. Non-economic damages are not financial losses but you can recover the financial value of that harm.Punitive damages
Punitive damages are additional damages a court may award when your electric scooter accident resulted from gross negligence by the negligent party. These damages, also called exemplary damages, can add significant value to your accident case. Courts award punitive damages to punish a particularly reckless defendant and to deter future similar e-scooter accidents. Your Denver accident attorney will evaluate whether punitive damages may be available in your case.Scooter accidents in Denver, Colorado
Contact our Denver law firm today
Frequently asked questions
Colorado law defines an electric scooter as a specific kind of vehicle different from non-motorized two-wheel vehicles and larger mopeds with more motorized power. In 2019 the state passed laws defining low power motorized scooters as specific class of vehicle with its own registration requirements and specific rules for traveling on streets, bike lanes and Denver sidewalks.
In Colorado, you can ride an electric scooter on most roadways, including bike lanes, but generally not on sidewalks. Traffic collisions involving e-scooters can occur on any type of transportation path in the state.
Yes, if the injures resulted from the negligence of somebody other than the rider. Sometimes people mistakenly believe renting an electric scooter from Lime or Bird in Denver, Colorado means accepting whatever happens while riding. That is incorrect. Renting an e-scooter in Denver is like riding in a rideshare car or renting a car. Just because you don’t own the vehicle doesn’t mean you cannot hold other people accountable for an accident. Your Denver electric scooter lawyer can help you recover damages for your injuries even if it is a rental.
According to a 2020 study, the number of scooter accidents in the US more than tripled over the course of four years. There were 4,582 in 2014 and 14,651 in 2018.
Another study found the likelihood of an accident is more likely than a car accident both per-mile traveled and per-trip. Per-mile traveled the likelihood of injury from a Denver scooter accident is between 175 and 200 times the likelihood in a car.
Denver is full of great places to ride electric scooters, which increases the likelihood of more accidents in the city’s future.
Denver scooter accidents follow the same personal injury law as accidents involving other vehicles. Under Colorado tort law, a person or party is liable for your damages when their negligence or intentional acts cause your injuries or losses. Most personal injury cases involve negligence rather than intentional acts.
Negligence is a legal term with specific meaning. To be negligent a person must owe a duty of care to you and breach that duty. That breach must be the cause of your injuries. Your accident lawyer must prove not just that another person caused you injury, but that they breached a duty of care owed to you. The duties of care for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians can come from traffic laws or judicial opinions. If you are involved in a scooter accident in Denver, you should talk to our electric scooter accident lawyers about your legal rights to recover.
Like other personal injury cases, the value of your case depends on several factors. The three most important factors to determine your accident case value include:
- severity of injuries
- cost of past and future medical bills
- whether you have permanent injuries
Although Denver scooter accident cases can be large cases with catastrophic injuries, many people fortunately will avoid serious injuries. Contact our office for a free case review and we can discuss the particular facts of your accident case.
