Skateboarders and Scooter riders struck by careless Spokane drivers can seek full compensation for their medical bills and their lost time at work. They should also be able to count on support for the time they must give up their boards and take a break from rides due to injury.
Car insurance companies are fully liable for these damages, but they often find ways to wiggle out of responsibility and leave injured riders with nothing. That’s unacceptable to CCD Law.
Contact our skilled Spokane Attorneys to get a free case consultation. It’s an easy, no-obligation way to determine how to hold an insurance company fully accountable for your hardships after a frightening collision.
When Do I Need the Help of a Lawyer After a Skateboard or Scooter Accident?
When you suffer a serious injury, and a reckless driver is to blame, it’s a good idea to talk over your case with a skilled Spokane Pedestrian Accident Lawyer.
If you can get up, brush yourself off, and only find minor scrapes and scratches, you may not need a lawyer’s help. But when broken bones, a neck injury, or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are involved, the cost of recovery goes way up. This increased expense makes insurance companies fight you much harder on accepting blame.
Dangers for Scooter and Skaters on Spokane Streets
Skateboarders have skate parks, like Hillyard Skate Park, and greenways to enjoy cruising on. It’s a great way to shred without having to worry about insane drivers.
They can also use sidewalks in many places, but at crosswalks, they can be vulnerable to drivers. It’s a similar situation for those on e-scooters who can use streets or sidewalks, but are always at risk from drivers who don’t know the laws or aren’t paying attention.
Drivers cutting through quiet Spokane neighborhoods can also put young riders on non-motorized scooters at risk. Distracted motorists looking at cellphones will have a hard time noticing the smaller profile of a young skateboarder or scooter rider in the street, which could cause a devastating accident.
Spokane Scooter and Skateboard Laws
Spokane Municipal Code Section 16A.61.787 goes over how skaters can use the sidewalks in many parts of the city, with a few exceptions, but must yield to the safety of pedestrians in all cases. There are some sections of downtown where skaters are not allowed on sidewalks. Skaters are permitted in Riverfront Park, particularly at the Numerica Skate Ribbon. They can also take full advantage of the Centennial Trail greenway. Skaters are not allowed to use bike lanes.
Electric scooters and hoverboards give an electric assist to riders. They can use sidewalks and bike lanes in downtown Spokane. According to the Spokane Police, they can also ride in traffic lanes. In the street, e-scooters would be considered a vehicle. This means riders would have to obey the same traffic laws as drivers, but would have the same rights to take a lane as any driver.
What Kind of Help Can Injured Skateboarders and Scooter Riders Expect After a Collision?
It’s critical that skateboarders and scooter users get the best care available in Spokane and that they have the money to pay for that care. These financial concerns should never be the victim’s worry while they must, in some cases, deal with surgeries and physical therapy.
Careless drivers and their auto insurance providers must take the blame for the severe consequences that can arise when a fast-moving vehicle hits a defenseless rider. Skaters can suffer broken ankles and suffer knee damage. Scooter riders might be knocked off their scooters and into the path of other vehicles. Victims can suffer brain trauma.
These and other injuries can take victims off their micro-mobility vehicles for months and even permanently.
A skilled Spokane Skateboard Accident Lawyer would be demanding support for these hardships and others:
- Past medical bills and medical bills reasonably expected to be incurred in the future
- Support for all physical therapy costs for as long as necessary
- Lifelong support if a skater or a rider suffers a permanent physical disability
- Support to pay for restorative surgeries in case victims suffer scarring and disfigurement
- Support for the pain experienced and that may continue for years to come
- Support for the emotional trauma caused by a frightening collision and a discouraging recovery
- Loss of enjoyment of life until riders can return to the sidewalk again
- Past lost earnings and earnings reasonably expected to be lost in the future, while victims can’t return to work
- Wrongful death benefits for families who lose a loved one in a heartbreaking traffic collision
Why Do Children Struck on Skateboards and Scooters Need Additional Injury Support?
Many of the victims in these terrible accidents end up being young people just looking to enjoy some fresh air with their friends.
Children often come away with even worse injuries than mature victims. Their bones aren’t as strong. Their tissue isn’t as thick to protect against an impact.
What’s more, young victims can struggle as they approach adulthood when a prior injury flares back up to affect development. A broken leg bone might suddenly start hurting again and require surgery years later.
It’s why a CCD Law attorney would help parents to ask for even more in a car accident settlement. Victims should have everything they need now and in the decade ahead.
Accidents on Spokane Rideshare Scooters
If you are struck while riding a rideshare e-scooter, the driver involved would still need to be held responsible for your injury hardships.
Lime Scooters and any business that rents out scooters can also be held responsible for some accidents. You may sign a waiver that protects the company from liability if you wreck and get hurt, but that waiver doesn’t excuse a rideshare like Lime for every accident.
You must accept the common risks of traveling on a relatively fast-moving motorized vehicle. However, a scooter company might still be held financially responsible for putting customers at unreasonable risk.
For starters, these companies are supposed to provide safe vehicles. A scooter accident caused by a faulty tire, a speed control that won’t decelerate, or bad brakes could leave a rideshare accountable. The maintenance and upkeep of these scooters is the company’s responsibility. If a defect isn’t repaired and you wipe out or are forced to crash into a vehicle or obstacle, you may be able to win support. The same would go for any company that rented out a skateboard with a broken wheel that caused a crash.
Contact a Spokane Scooter Accident Lawyer to figure out who can be held liable for your accident and injury. There’s no risk for this free case consultation.
What If I Wasn’t Wearing a Helmet When I Was Struck on a Skateboard or Scooter?
The fact that you weren’t wearing a helmet doesn’t change the fault in the accident. A careless driver is still to blame and is still liable for the damages.
Spokane has no helmet requirement for skateboarders of any age. Those using private scooters under the age of 16 must wear helmets when riding in Spokane. When a helmet is required, riders in accidents may be cited and fined, but the fault in the accident is a different matter.
In some accidents that involve head injuries, a car insurance company may attempt to argue that the injury wouldn’t have been as bad if a helmet had been worn. But the fact of the matter is that the head injury wouldn’t have happened if the driver had shown care and caution.
Our Spokane scooter accident lawyers would fight to make sure the blame couldn’t be shifted. Or, if a scooter rider had to accept partial blame for an injury, we would make sure that percentage stayed as low as possible. Victims can receive support in car accidents even if they must share some of the fault with the motorist.
Choose Safety: It should go without saying, but a helmet is a great safety device for skaters and riders of all ages. The American Public Health Association found that between 2019 and 2022, the rate of serious injuries for e-scooter users rose by 88% in the U.S. Only an estimated 35% of injured riders were wearing helmets when their accidents occurred.
Contact a Skilled Spokane Scooter Accident Lawyer
Skateboard and scooter accident victims generally have up to three years to file a claim against a driver who causes an accident.
However, in the case of a minor in an accident, a child’s statute of limitations would be paused, and the three years would start on their 18th birthday. This allows them an additional opportunity to seek compensation until they are 21 if their parents didn’t file a claim when the accident occurred.
If you are unsure if you need a lawyer, there’s a no-risk way to determine your best options. Contact CCD Law and set up a free, no-obligation consultation. We can help you find the best and fastest path to getting support. We can also help you support your case with the strongest evidence to make sure car insurance companies can’t escape justice.
And if you need our help, you don’t need any money to hire CCD Law. We don’t get paid unless we win your case. If your case is unsuccessful, we don’t earn anything. If we win, our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement that an insurance company is forced to pay you and your family.