Several cities in New Jersey have given ride-share companies permission to operate e-scooters before making final decisions about allowing programs to run permanently. The safety of this mode of transport is once again questioned after the death of a 15-year-old e-scooter rider. Car accidents involving scooters have become a significant concern.
Reportedly, the city of Elizabeth rolled out the Lyme e-scooter program barely three weeks before this fatal accident. A youth advocate noted that this tragedy was not unexpected because of the lack of restrictions. While he says there is nothing to stop any child from getting on a scooter, a Lyme spokesperson says no one younger than 18 years should ride e-scooters.
Reportedly, the teenager was struck by a tow truck when the driver made a right turn without yielding for the e-scooter. Law enforcement confirms that the tow truck operator remained at the crash scene. The young scooter rider died shortly after the collision. Further reports indicate that the city of Hoboken also ran a six-month program with Lyme, but its future is unknown after a car and a scooter crashed on the last day of the contract.
Victims of car accidents might have grounds to file civil lawsuits to pursue recovery of financial damages. However, this is a complicated field of the law because New Jersey’s comparative negligence law might come into play. With the support and guidance of an experienced personal injury attorney, the plaintiff will have to prove that the defendant was more than 50% at fault. A monetary judgment will be based upon each party’s contribution to the accident.