A teenager and a child were both seriously injured this week when they were struck by a utility truck while riding an electronic scooter, commonly referred to as an e-scooter. The accident occurred Tuesday morning at the intersection of Ira and Fletcher Streets in southwest Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood, when the 18 and 9-year-old boys were crossing the street on the scooter. The driver remained on the scene and was cooperating with the investigation, police reported. The boys were transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. No charges were expected to be filed.
Due to stricter regulations in the Atlanta metro area that were passed in response to a three-month time frame in 2019 in which there were four deaths as a result of e-scooter accidents, there are far fewer rentable e-scooters to be found on the streets of Atlanta these days. However, scooters remain a popular mode of transportation for younger individuals. Riders should note that Atlanta prohibits riding scooters on city roadways after 9 pm and must be operated in the bike lane or on the far right edge of the travel lane. E-scooters should not be used on sidewalks and only one rider should be aboard the scooter at a time. Scooter riders are barred from using their cell phones while operating the device.
In spite of the regulations placed on riders, e-scooters remain a permissible form of transportation on Atlanta roadways, and riders are owed the same duty of care as other roadway users are. What this means is that if you are injured as a result of an e-scooter accident in Atlanta that was caused by the careless or reckless actions of a driver, you can seek compensation for the expenses and psychological impacts of your injury by filing a legal claim against the auto insurance policy of that driver. Let an experienced accident attorney from Cambre & Associates, LLC, explain this process to you during a free case evaluation.
