Scooter Accident Lawyers
Have You Been Involved in a Motor Scooter Accident?
If you have been involved in an accident while driving your motor scooter, the scooter accident attorneys at Grimes Teich Anderson LLC can assist you. We have extensive experience assisting scooter accident victims throughout North and South Carolina recover for the damages they have suffered from another person’s negligence, whether their accidents have involved cars, trucks, motorcycles, or other scooters. To find out how we can help, contact Grimes Teich Anderson LLP for a free consultation today.
As Scooters Become More Common, Other Motorists Should Take More Care
Traveling by motor scooter has become more popular in recent years, and no wonder: over the last eight years, gas prices have doubled and the average car price has jumped up over 15% in the U.S. People want a method of transportation that makes economic sense. So after selling countless scooters in countries like Italy and China, manufacturers such as Honda, Vespa, Piaggio, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kymco, are finding a new market in America.
Scooters often provide the ideal solution for students and inner-city commuters. While not as useful for long trips, they are handy for short commutes and local errands. They come in both electric and gas models, and their step-through frame, modest cargo capacity, automatic transmission, and comfortable riding stance make scooters easy to drive and handle. When you add in the fact that a new scooter can cost as little as $3,000—with high-end models topping out around $9,000—it is likely that more and more people will be turning to scooters.
But those scooters will be sharing the roads with other vehicles, and that is where the danger lies. Scooters can be hard to spot for an inattentive driver, and many motorists do not take enough care to watch for them. Scooters are always at risk of being hit, and scooter operators are always going to be at a disadvantage because scooters offer so little fall and impact protection. Grimes Teich Anderson attorneys have represented people seriously injured and killed in scooter accidents that were not our clients' fault, and we stand ready to assist you.
The Best Option is to Avoid Injuries: Drive Defensively
Despite recent efforts to make scooter laws more stringent, if your scooter has an engine smaller than 50cc and cannot exceed a speed of 30 miles per hour when driven on a flat surface, these rules apply:
This simplicity of regulation sounds ideal, but it also means that some motorists are not ready for the proliferation of scooters on the road and do not take sufficient care to avoid collisions. Scooters must obey the rules of the road, but they also have equal right to use the public roads (excluding interstates). The fact that scooters are not required to have liability insurance does not affect the scooter operator's right to make a claim against another driver who caused injury. Oftentimes, a experienced personal injury attorney is needed to help locate insurance to pay medical bills, property damage, and pain and suffering. Grimes Teich Anderson is prepared to help locate all insurance that applies to a scooter operator's injury claim.
The speed and ease of driving a scooter makes them very commuter friendly, but operating among careless motoristsis dangerous business, both to scooter drivers and to other users of the road. Scooter operators, as a rule, should always assume that no one can see them. Scooter drivers should take the same defensive driving course as motorcyclists to learn how to maneuver themselves out of harm’s way when the unpredictable or unexpected happens.
Grimes Teich Anderson Knows how to Protect Your Rights
Even the most defensive scooter driver cannot always protect himself from the negligence or malfeasance of other drivers. And when someone else is responsible for causing your injury or a loved one’s death, the law may require that person, company, or entity to compensate you for the damages you have suffered, including:
Many people make the mistake of believing that insurance will enable them to obtain full recovery for their damages, and fail to consult an experienced personal injury attorney to find out what their rights are and to what they are legally entitled. Some insurance companies count on this, and will make settlement offers that seem fair or generous, but which seriously undervalue the damages you have suffered.
Do not let this happen to you. The North Carolina and South Carolina personal injury lawyers at Grimes Teich Anderson LLP offer a free, no-obligation consultation regarding your North Carolina or South Carolina scooter accident case to help you understand what you may be entitled to. We have offices in Asheville, Waynesville, Rutherfordton, and Spruce Pine, North Carolina, as well as in Greenville, South Carolina. We represent the injured in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina, and also offer statewide service. If you would like to schedule a free consultation, call us toll-free at 800-533-6845, or complete our confidential case evaluation form.