Scooters have been a rapidly growing form of transportation, particularly around large cities. Now, many are starting to highlight the serious safety issues that many of these scooters present. Recently, a cyclist was biking down the road when he struck a Bird scooter that was left in the middle of the street. He struck the scooter and was flipped head over heels off the bike. He ended up with a broken hip, which is always a serious injury and could lead to serious complications that could land someone in the operating room, the ICU, and even with a hip replacement.

This cyclist decided to file a personal injury suit against Bird, the company that owns the scooter that was left in the street. He alleged that Bird did not do enough to make sure that their scooters were properly locked up and kept out of the road after their riders let them go. He was seeking compensatory damages representative of the costs that he incurred as a result of the bicycle vs. scooter accident.

Now, a federal judge in Atlanta has decided to toss out the personal injury suit. The judge decided that the plaintiff did not have a case against Bird. Presumably, Bird is not responsible for how their riders treat their scooters. This cyclist might have had a stronger case if he would have been able to identify the specific individual who left the scooter in the street; however, he was unable to do so.

This suit simply serves to highlight both the dangers of these scooters and the high bar that personal injury lawsuits must reach in order to hold these companies accountable. While there are plenty of other examples of these companies being held accountable for their scooters, there are also plenty of lawsuits that end up like this one. It is critical for anyone who uses these scooters to make sure they are placed in a safe location once they are done using them. This will go a long way toward keeping everyone safe from harm, including bicyclists who might not be able to take evasive action in time to avoid serious injuries.