A recent report from a California university suggests that, as the popularity of electric scooters continues to grow in this state’s urban areas like San Mateo County, so does the possibility that people will get hurt while using them.
The report indicated that the number of people hurt because of these electric scooters more than tripled over the last five or so years, growing by over 200 percent between 2014 and 2018, up to over 39,000 injuries.
The number of more serious injuries, that is, those which required admission to the hospital, more than quadrupled, rising to close to 3,300 injuries in 2018.
What was particularly concerning about these statistics is the high number of injuries to the head. One out of three of those injured suffered a wound to the head, which is a rate twice as high as that experienced by those riding traditional bicycles. Overall, in 2018, 4,658 people suffered head injuries because of e-scooters.
The exact nature of these head injuries was not the subject of the report. However, even minor traumatic brain injuries can lead to serious and long-term psychological and physical problems which can affect a person’s work and quality of life. More severe brain injuries can mean a person will need around-the-clock care.
While many people in the Bay Area find them convenient, electric scooters pose a number of hazards. Those on scooters can get hurt by others also riding the devices, inattentive cars, a careless property owner or even a distracted pedestrian. A victim of a scooter injury may have the legal option to purse compensation in a personal injury case if their injuries were caused by the negligence of another.
