Kentucky Scooter Accident Lawyer

Scooters are becoming increasingly popular as a form of transportation throughout Kentucky and the United States. They are small, easy to park, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly. Also, shared scooter companies like Lime and Spin have increased the availability of scooters for rent in Lexington and Louisville. These types of shared scooters are electric-powered scooters that don’t go very fast, but gas-powered scooters like mopeds that resemble small motorcycles also pose risk for riders and others on the road.

The convenience of scooters comes with a price. Many riders have little or no experience riding, so they struggle reacting appropriately to traffic and pedestrians; and, motorists sometimes don’t see or watch for scooters. This combination can lead to dangerous, sometimes fatal, scooter accidents that devastate victims and their families. Fortunately, Kentucky requires those who ride mopeds and similar machines to have a license, so accidents aren’t as frequent.

But they do take place in Kentucky. One man allegedly blew a stop sign on his scooter and died when he crashed into a car in an intersection. Another allegedly intoxicated driver killed a man who was driving a scooter.

The skilled personal injury attorneys at Flora Templeton Stuart understands the difficulties you face in the wake of a severe injury. We can help guide you whether you’ve been involved in an accident with an electric or gas-powered scooter. If you have sustained injuries in a scooter accident in Kentucky because of another party’s negligence, contact us at (888) 782-9090 to discuss the facts of your accident during a free case evaluation.

Flora Templeton Stuart’s Results for Accident Victims

Flora Templeton Stuart has represented accident victims for more than 40 years. Her commitment to client advocacy, seeking justice, and professional excellence has led to the recovery of tens of millions of dollars in damages for her clients. Additionally, she and her team members have extensive experience settling, negotiating, and litigating personal injury cases, including those involving scooter accidents.

Some recent case results include settlements and verdicts ranging from $1,000,000 to almost $3,000,000 and include injuries such as a crushed leg, brain injury, broken legs, and a crushed skull. These cases are only examples and do not guarantee a specific outcome for your scooter accident claim.

Each case has distinctive facts that can add to or detract from its value. The skilled legal team at Flora Templeton Stuart has the experience and resources to build the strongest possible case against the party who caused your injuries, giving you the best chance to recover damages for your injuries.

Scooter Accidents Can Lead to Serious Injuries

A recent study found that scooter injuries in the United States have increased 222 percent from 2014 to 2018, with related hospital admissions increasing by 365 percent during the same time. Although scooter accidents can lead to a wide array of injuries, some are more common than others. They include:

Head Trauma

The USCF study mentioned above reveals that approximately a third of those injured in scooter accidents experience some type of head trauma. Head trauma refers to any injury to the skull, scalp, or the brain. Damage to the scalp is usually superficial and can heal without long-term effects. It’s not as simple when an accident victim suffers a brain injury. Even mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), typically referred to as concussions, can cause lifelong struggles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that a TBI can impact functions in four main areas:

• Thinking. Struggles with thinking include memory loss, difficulty with reasoning, inability to focus, and other cognitive issues.
• Sensation. TBI victims can experience effects in all areas of sensation. Some examples include vision loss, ringing in the ears, numbness, and difficulty with balance.
• Language. A TBI can impact areas of language such as communication, expression of words and ideas, and the ability to understand words and ideas.
• Emotion. TBI victims can struggle with a wide range of emotional issues including depression and anxiety, as well as changes in personality. It’s common for TBI victims to experience increased aggression and anger. In some cases, victims might also have difficulty acting appropriately in social situations.

Fractures

Broken bones constitute another injury scooter accident victims often suffer. Depending on the extent of the break and its location, a fracture doesn’t always lead to lifelong complications. Yet, scooter riders, like motorcyclists and bicyclists, have little protection between their bodies and the road or motor vehicles, making it likely they will suffer anything but a clean break.

Crushed bones, multiple fractures, and compound fractures can require one or more corrective surgeries, sometimes with screws, plates, or bone grafts to reconstruct the affected bone. The older the victim, the longer it takes for a fracture to heal.

Even after healing and successful surgery, accident victims can suffer ongoing pain and arthritis at the site of injury. Breaks in the arms or legs also can make it difficult for scooter accident victims to walk, lift, or have complete function of their limb. In the worst-case scenarios, fractures in the vertebrae can lead to a severe spinal cord injury and doctors might have to amputate a crushed limb if they cannot restore blood flow.

Dislocation Injuries

The final common type of injuries scooter accident victims experience is dislocation injuries. A dislocation is a joint injury that occurs when an accident forces the bones of the joint out of their normal position. Scooter accidents can cause a person to land many different ways that might pop one or more joints out of place. Shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees can all be dislocated in a scooter accident.

Doctors treat dislocations differently based on the severity of the injury, but accident victims likely face time in a splint or sling. This typically occurs after doctors perform the excruciatingly painful task of putting the joint ‘back together.’ Dislocation injuries can heal completely, but much like fractures, they can also cause long-term chronic pain and arthritis.

Kentucky Motorcycle Collision Statistics

Source: transportation.ky.gov

Seeking Compensation After a Kentucky Scooter Accident

If you have suffered injuries in a Kentucky scooter accident because of another party’s carelessness, Kentucky law permits you to seek compensation for damages related to your accident and injuries by bringing a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. If you reach a settlement or the court rules in your favor, you can receive compensation for some or all of the following losses related to your scooter accident:

Medical Treatment Costs

Medical expenses constitute a large portion of most personal injury claims, including those involving scooter accidents. In the most severe cases, scooter accident victims must pay for ambulance service to the nearest emergency room, treatment in the emergency room, and any lab tests or x-rays doctors need to perform to identify and diagnose injuries.

The most severe injuries require at least a few nights in the hospital, if not much longer, and some accident victims need emergency surgery. Medication, aftercare, nursing services, and followup doctor visits also add to the total medical treatment costs of a scooter accident.

Future Medical Expenses

Those who sustain severe injuries in scooter accidents risk needing ongoing treatment, multiple surgeries, and extensive recovery time. Sometimes these medical expenses extend past the length of the claim, especially when a victim has a permanent disability requiring lifelong care. Families who cannot care for an accident victim will need to arrange for care in a long-term nursing care facility, which is costly and may not be covered by insurance.

The amount of money you can recover for future medical expenses varies greatly depending on your prognosis. In many cases, personal injury lawyers enlist the help of medical experts and lifecare planners to place a value on future medical costs.

Rehabilitation Expenses

Costs for services related to rehabilitation also fall under the umbrella of medical expenses, but they vary greatly among scooter accident victims. Many different types of specialists can help accident victims with different parts of rehabilitation. For example, a physical therapist can help accident victims regain lost function and build muscle strength in injured areas. Occupational therapists help victims with disabilities learn new ways to get through their daily routine and perform tasks in different ways.

Scooter accident victims can also struggle with emotional distress from the accident and from severe injuries or permanent disabilities. Some victims must spend time with a mental health professional working through their emotions as part of their rehabilitation. Additionally, rehabilitation expenses also included assistive devices such as wheelchairs, canes, crutches, walkers, and any other device a victim must rely upon to function after an injury.

Lost Wages

Suffering injuries in a severe Kentucky scooter accident likely will result in time away from work. Some victims miss only days, while others miss weeks or months of work. In the most severe accidents, a victim cannot return to work at all, nor seek any other gainful employment. Attorneys typically include any current or future work you miss in accident claims; the court and insurance companies typically refer to future lost wages as lost earning capacity. Claims for lost wages also include compensation for any paid time off, such as vacation days, personal days, and sick days, an employee uses as a result of their injuries.

Other Expenses

Other economic losses scooter accident victims might face include expenses to make a person’s home more accessible, such as the installation of grab bars, handrails, and wheelchair ramps. Accident victims also sometimes need to rely on outside help to do tasks they can no longer perform, such as laundry, cleaning, childcare, and lawn care.

Non-economic Losses

A scooter accident victim can suffer a wide range of non-economic losses, all of which vary based on the extent and nature of injuries. Some examples of non-economic losses you might receive compensation for in a Kentucky scooter accident claim include:

• Physical pain and suffering for injuries from the scooter accident
• Emotional pain and suffering for the trauma of the accident
• Mental anguish from the scooter accident and injuries
• Decreased quality of life from a severe injury preventing a victim from performing the same tasks they did before the accident
• Loss of consortium with a spouse when the emotional and sexual aspects of a relationship suffer damage from an injury
• Punitive damages when the accident occurred as a result of intentional harm or gross negligence
• Compensation for scarring and disfigurement when a scooter accident victim must cope with permanent scars

If you lost a loved one or a child as a result of a scooter accident, you might be eligible to seek compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit against the other party. Kentucky allows eligible family members to seek compensation in civil court; eligibility depends on their relationship with the deceased. Surviving family members who receive damages in a wrongful death lawsuit can recover some of the damages listed above, as well as expenses for a wake, funeral, or memorial service. Wrongful death claims also typically include burial or cremation costs.

Other non-economic losses concerning relationships with the deceased can also be included in some wrongful death suits. Your lawyer can answer questions about wrongful death suits and help you determine the best course of action for you and your family.

Flora Templeton Stuart Can Help After a Scooter Accident

At Flora Templeton Stuart, we understand the gravity of suffering a severe injury in a traffic accident, including one involving a scooter. You shouldn’t have to shoulder the financial burden that comes with an injury caused by someone else. Flora Templeton Stuart has the experience and resources to investigate your scooter accident, gather evidence and documents to support your case, and to pursue your claim in and out of court. Let us help you get the compensation you deserve. We take cases on a contingency fee basis, only collecting attorney fees when we win or settle a case.

Contact Flora Templeton Stuart online or at (888)782-9090 for a free case evaluation to discuss the details of your scooter accident and learn how we can help you move forward. We serve scooter accident victims throughout Kentucky.