Atlanta Electric Scooter Death

 

Early Friday morning, a 20-year-old man riding an electric scooter was hit and killed after leaving a southwest Atlanta MARTA station. This is the first fatal accident involving an electric scooter in Atlanta.

Atlanta police said that the man was leaving the parking lot of the West Lake station, and he was riding a Lime scooter. He was then hit by a red Cadillac.

Read more about the accident here.

This is a tragedy, both in the fate of the victim operating the e-scooter and in the way this collision is being reported. The news story all but points at the victim for being at fault and even credits the driver for not fleeing the scene. Why? Because we’re so conditioned by all the hit & runs that we accept this as somehow accepting responsibility?

It’s unacceptable for them to accept the statement “the scooter came out of nowhere”.  That should be a prime tip-off that the car driver wasn’t paying attention. Accepting that statement at face value is a classic example of victim blaming.

As electronic scooters become more and more popular in Atlanta, emergency departments all over the city are seeing an increase in scooter-related injuries. According to the Atlanta Police Department, a public scooter safety campaign will soon be rolled out. The Atlanta Police have also said they will begin to ticket riders breaking traffic laws more often.

All of the focus seems to be on the scooter riders breaking traffic laws; there is nowhere near enough focus on other vehicles on the road. But with more than 11,000 electric scooter trips a day in Atlanta, everyone needs to know the laws for both enjoyment and safety.

A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department has recently said about the campaign, “We are in the process of launching a public awareness campaign before we begin heavy enforcement. We want to ensure that people are clear on what they can and can’t do with regard to scooters, and to give them time to familiarize themselves with the ordinance. Because of this, data on improper riding of scooters is limited and we have not located any citations as of yet,” the spokesperson shared in an email with 11Alive news.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of someone else, you may be entitled to compensation. Attorney Bruce A. Hagen is ready to help you. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.