While motorized scooters have provided a quick and easy way to get around, they have also resulted in new ways for people to get injured. One person who was injured while using a Lime scooter is Ashanti Jordan of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ashanti wasn’t wearing a helmet when she collided with a car and was thrown about 100 feet. According to her family members, the accident has left her in a persistent vegetative state. Now, Ashanti’s mother is suing Lime for her daughter’s injuries.
This Isn’t the First Accident Involving a Lime Rider
Ashanti isn’t the first victim of an accident involving a Lime scooter. Last week an Irish exchange student was killed in a Lime vs. car accident in Austin, Texas. The Washington Post reports that the exchange student appears to be the third person killed in an accident that involved a Lime scooter in recent months.
According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, since e-scooters arrived in Fort Lauderdale, there have been a number of high-profile accidents. In fact, ABC affiliate WPLG reported that according to the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, of the 40 incidents involving scooters, “31 of them required someone to be transported to the hospital, and 4 of those were level-1 traumas.”
Lime’s Alleged Fault in the Accident
Tracy Jordan, Ashanti’s mother, has announced her plans to sue Lime on her daughter’s behalf for negligence. According to her lawyer, Lime’s app has specific language instructing people to avoid using the scooter on local sidewalks, which effectively pushes them to operate them on city streets.
Her lawyer says, however, that with these instructions, Lime is violating its operating agreement with Fort Lauderdale. Under the agreement, the company is required to inform Lime riders how to legally and safely operate the scooters. But, in Fort Lauderdale, operating a motorized scooter on the street is against the law. Instead, the city allows e-scooters to be ridden on sidewalks.
According to Tracy’s lawyer, his client is seeking compensatory damages for mental anguish, hospital expenses, potential disabilities, loss of income, and long-term medical care for Ashanti.