Boston Electric Scooter Accident Lawyer

Injured in an e-bike accident? Our law firm can handle your injury claim

Electric bikes (often called e-bikes) and electric scooters (e-scooters) have become increasingly popular in Boston and many other cities in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, accidents involving electric scooters and e-bikes have also become increasingly common.

When e-bike accidents happen, it’s important that injury victims receive immediate medical treatment, including emergency medical care at Massachusetts General Hospital or another nearby emergency room. It’s also important to fully understand your available legal options. That’s why the Boston e-bike accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone want to meet with you.

Our Boston law firm has years of experience helping injury victims demand the financial compensation they rightfully deserve. If another driver caused your e-bike or electric scooter accident, don’t simply assume you will be fairly compensated. Demand the money you deserve. Contact our law firm right now. You can come to our office on Oliver Street in Boston or any of our 10 locations throughout Massachusetts.

What is an e-bike?

An e-bike looks like a normal bicycle, but it has a built-in electric motor that provides additional power. Most e-bikes use “pedal assist” technology – the cyclist still has to pedal the bike, and the motor amplifies the power behind the pedal strokes. Other e-bikes use a twist throttle to engage the drive, which means you don’t have to pedal at all for the motor to engage.

E-bikes have become especially popular among people who regularly commute to work on a bicycle. Adults who need additional assistance, especially on hills, have also increasingly started using electric bikes.

What is an electric scooter?

An electric scooter looks like a scooter or skateboard with a waist-high handlebar attached to the front of the scooter. But unlike a normal scooter, an e-scooter has a battery-powered motor that provides power to the scooter.

In many cities like Boston, scooters can be rented throughout the city from a wide range of e-scooter rental companies, including Uber, Lime, and Bird Scooter. You’ll often see electric scooters on sidewalks throughout the city when people are not renting them or using them.

Massachusetts electric bike and scooter accident laws

Massachusetts law sets specific rules that e-bikes and e-scooters must follow. The following laws apply specifically to e-bikes:

Motorized bicycle operators must be at least 16 years old and possess a valid driver’s license (Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1B).
Motorized bicycles cannot go faster than 25 mph (Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1B).
Motorized bicycle operators and passengers must wear a helmet at all times (Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1B).

The following laws apply specifically to e-scooters:

Motorized scooter operators must possess a valid driver’s license or learner’s permit (Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1E).
Motorized scooters cannot go faster than 20 mph (Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1E).
Motorized scooter operators must wear helmets at all times, and they cannot transport passengers (Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1E).

Massachusetts law also specifies that both motorized bicycles and scooters must comply with all applicable federal safety standards (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1C). E-bikes and e-scooters can be ridden on all public ways in the Commonwealth except for limited access and express state highways as well as public roads with a speed limit of more than 30 mph (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 1F). Massachusetts law also sets safety and inspection standards for e-bikes and e-scooters and permits municipalities to restrict their use on certain roads for safety reasons.

In Massachusetts, an e-bike or e-scooter is a vehicle, subject to the same registration and inspection requirements as other vehicles. Operators must yield to pedestrians at crosswalks and otherwise follow all applicable traffic laws. That also means they have a right to be on the road, and motorists have to share the road accordingly – but unfortunately, too many don’t see it that way.

Common causes of e-bike accidents

Accidents involving people riding e-bikes or electric scooters often occur because of mistakes made by drivers. Some of the reasons why include:

Distracted driver not paying attention and hitting someone on an e-bike or scooter.
Texting driver who didn’t see an e-bike and struck the cyclist.
Speeding drivers who don’t have enough time to avoid hitting a cyclist or scooter.
Aggressive drivers who change lanes or don’t leave enough space between their vehicle and an e-scooter or electric bike.
Drunk drivers or drivers under the influence of drugs who cause a collision.

Whatever the cause of your accident, if you have been hit by a car on a scooter or an e-bike, make sure you understand your rights. Make sure you talk to a Boston e-bike accident lawyer at our law firm right away.

What should I do if I’m injured in an e-bike accident?

If you have been injured in an e-bike or electric scooter accident in Boston or elsewhere in Massachusetts, make sure you take action right away to protect your health and your rights. Such steps include:

Call 911 and tell them you have been injured in an accident.
Ask the police to send an ambulance if you are injured. Your health should always come first.
If someone saw your accident, get their name and phone number before they leave the scene. Eyewitness testimony can be a powerful piece of evidence in electric bike accident claims.
Take pictures of your accident if possible – the more photos, the better.
Get the driver’s full name, address, driver’s license number, and insurance information.
Don’t discuss your accident with the at-fault driver or anyone else at the scene. Anything you say could later be used as evidence to deny your injury claim.
Get the investigating police officer’s name and badge number. That way, you can contact them directly if necessary to obtain a copy of your official Massachusetts motor vehicle accident report.
Schedule a follow-up appointment with a doctor. Many injuries take several hours or days to develop after an accident, including whiplash, concussions, and other types of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
Take your doctor’s advice. Failure to do so could harm your recovery and your ability to be fairly compensated for your injury-related expenses. Insurance companies will do anything they can to reduce or deny injury claims.
Call a lawyer as soon as possible to help you with your e-bike injury claim.

How can an e-bike accident attorney help me?

When you have an experienced e-bike accident lawyer handling your claim, you can set the agenda. Instead of insurance companies telling you what to do, your attorney can deal directly with them on your behalf and make sure they take your electric bike accident claim seriously right from the start.

The experienced lawyers at The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone know how the legal system works in Massachusetts. We’re also up to date on the latest laws governing e-bikes and electric scooters. These are just some of the reasons why our law firm received a “Litigator Award” from the Trial Lawyers Board of Regents, which is given to the top 1 percent of lawyers.

Give your injury claim “The Salomone Advantage.” Contact us and schedule a free case evaluation with a Boston e-bike accident lawyer you can trust. You only have to pay if you receive a financial settlement or verdict. That’s because we work on a contingency fee basis. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Call now. We can help.