The faces of American cities are changing, with new concerns for affordable housing and transit meeting the requirement to keep our environments livable. This has led to several innovations that have met with both satisfaction and controversy on the streets of Los Angeles and other California cities.
Nearly everyone in the Golden State has an opinion on scooter shares, which have been on the sidewalks of cities for the last couple of years. The motorized flat scooters allow customers to take short, inexpensive trips between homes and transit lines and work with a simple application on their smartphones. Advocates hoped the machines would close the final link in many people’s environmentally friendly commutes.
However, the health risk to riders and bystanders alike has drawn concerns. The family of a woman injured while riding a scooter has sued the operator over her injuries, which also left her vegetative due to brain trauma. The suit alleges that the application’s instructions went against traffic laws, and the victim following the directions resulted in the injury.
Many laws which should clarify safety requirements, such as helmet laws for scooter riders, have been suggested. A study by a California university claims that fewer than 5 percent of scooter-related injuries in Los Angeles happened to people wearing helmets. At least 1,500 people have already been injured while riding shared scooters.
People suffering from brain injuries due to transit accidents and other causes have the right to seek financial restitution from responsible individuals and organizations. An attorney can help victims and their families assemble a claim for damages that can help with recovery after a tragic accident.
