For as popular as e-scooters have become, their use carries the same risks as any other motor vehicle. If you fell victim to an e-scooter injury, read on to learn how to take care of yourself. A San Mateo County, California scooter accident lawyer can help you today.
Prevent an E-Scooter Injury
The absolute most important thing you can do about an e-scooter injury is to prevent one from ever happening to begin with. Please take advantage of common sense precautions:
- Do use a helmet.
- Do be attentive to road conditions wherever you travel.
- Don’t disobey traffic laws.
- Don’t get on an e-scooter after taking any kind of drug, not even a bit of beer.
Take Care of Your Body after an E-Scooter Injury in California
After an e-scooter injury, the next most important thing you can do is take care of your physical health. Be sure to call 911 as soon as you can and carefully check your injuries. Many injuries, but especially head injuries, only show signs later.
Fulfill Your Duty of Care
Once you’ve seen to yourself, you should check if anyone else involved in the accident was injured. If you didn’t request medical assistance for yourself but someone else involved in the accident became gravely injured, you will need to call for help.
In California, you owe a duty of care to anyone involved in the accident. Duty of care is a central topic in California personal injury law. Everyone has a legal responsibility to each other to avoid hurting others. Motor vehicle operators have a few standards of care they need to make sure they meet.
There is a duty to act in a reasonable manner, which means obeying traffic laws. You have a duty to refrain from intentional injury, which means you must avoid purposefully causing harm to others. You also have a duty to refrain from reckless behavior, which means avoiding putting others at great risk without justification.
As a road user, you are owed a duty of care by everyone else on the road. In turn, you owe everyone else the same duty. In the case of an e-scooter accident where you have been injured, you were owed a duty of care. And you owe a duty of care to other victims: to act reasonably, check for injuries, and call for help.
Exchange Documentation and Gather Evidence
You should exchange contact information and insurance details with everyone involved in the accident. Be sure to take photos of the aftermath, with particular attention to property damages and physical injuries. On the topic of injuries, keep a copy of any medical record relating to the accident, as these will help your lawyer later. And finally, don’t throw away your scooter. It will be useful evidence regarding your accident and may be used in a product liability claim as well.
Get in Touch with the Police
Reporting the accident to the police is a key part of gathering evidence if you file a personal injury claim. In certain cases, you must call a police officer:
- If there was an impaired driver, major injury, or death
- If it was a hit-and-run
- If it was necessary to call a tow truck for a vehicle in the accident
- If a commercial vehicle was involved
Even if the damage was minor, it will help your case to call the police and document everything that happened.
Give Us A Call
Finally, you should get in touch with an e-scooter accident lawyer. At this point, you will have done everything you reasonably could. You’ve been through a painful and stressful situation. Get in touch with us right away, and we will do everything we can to help.
