Dockless electric scooters have been sprouting up around many cities, including Austin, but a recent safety study on the devices may make you think twice before renting one. The study found that during a three-month period, 192 people were injured severely enough to require an emergency-room visit. Additionally, 15 percent of injured riders who were treated for head injuries had a TBI.
About the Study
The city of Austin teamed up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to complete the study on rentable electronic scooters, some of which you can rent via a phone app. The study aggregated data from September 5, 2018 to November 30, 2018, during which time there were 936,110 trips taken on the scooters within the city of Austin. This consisted of 182,333 hours of use. Researchers looked through emergency room and hospital intake reports for the keyword “scooter.” There were 271 people with injuries stemming from scooters. Of these, 160 patients were confirmed to have been injured while riding on an e-scooter and another 32 may have involved an e-scooter. Researchers then interviewed 125 of the patients who were injured in the 192 accidents.
Results of the Study
According to the study results, 14 people were injured for every 100,000 scooter trips. 48 percent of those injured suffered some type of head injury. 15 percent of these individuals were diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. Bone fractures were another common cause of injury, affecting 35 percent of those injured. Approximately half of the riders who were injured suffered severe injuries. About 8 percent of them had to spend at least 48 hours in the hospital. O
The injured patients cited the following reasons for their accidents:
- 37 percent cited excessive speed
- 10 percent cited a curb
- 10 percent involved a motor vehicle
- 7 percent cited an inanimate object, such as a light pole or manhole cover
Approximately half of the injured individuals believed their accidents involved “surface conditions,” such as potholes or irregularities in the pavement. Another 19 percent believed that the scooter malfunctioned and caused their injury. 99 percent of the injured individuals were not wearing helmets.
The study suggests that the training that renters received for the scooter was not effective. 70 percent of the injured individuals said they had received training on safe scooter use, but 60 percent of those injured said they received training through the scooter company’s app. About one-third of the those injured were hurt on their first time ever using an electronic scooter.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer for Help with Your Claim
If you were injured because of a defective product or believe that manmade conditions could have contributed to your accident, you may wish to speak to an experienced personal injury lawyer who can review your claim and discuss your legal options for recovery with you.
