Spin Scooter Lawyer
Most of the companies that have entered the electric scooter market are either small startups, like Bird and Lime, or piggyback on existing ridesharing apps like Lyft and JUMP. However, a new entrant to the e-scooter market comes from the automotive industry. Spin, which began renting bicycles in San Francisco and now rents e-scooters in many major cities, is owned and operated by Ford Motor Company.
Spin scooters have been deployed by Ford in cities like Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis, and Washington DC. Compared to their existing competitors, Spin electric scooters are supposed to be tougher, more durable, and less prone to accidents. They have larger wheels for better control and a lower center of gravity.
Also unlike many other e-scooter options, Spin scooters do not use software-controlled braking to lock the vehicle after a ride. Rather, they rely on a built-in speaker which sounds an alarm and declares “PLEASE UNLOCK AND RIDE” if someone attempts to ride them. Although the motor cannot be activated while the vehicle is in a locked state, a rider who does not mind the alarm and loud message can use the scooter easily. Cohen & Cohen
The Spin company had already garnered criticism when it launched with rentable three-speed bicycles in San Francisco, after numerous pedestrians claimed that the devices were clogging streets. At one point, the San Francisco police department seized a number of the bikes in response to persistent complaints. Since then, Spin has made attempts to reduce some of these complaints, but rolling out more e-scooters seems likely to exacerbate the problem.
Because Spin scooters can be used even without unlocking, they carry an additional risk to casual riders who may encounter hazards while riding on sidewalks and through crosswalks. Riders are particularly susceptible to sidewalk defects. A two-inch gap or rise in a sidewalk is not only a challenge for pedestrians, but it can cause catastrophe for a scooter rider. Even the larger wheels on a Spin scooter cannot safely handle a two-inch rise in a sidewalk and can cause the front of the vehicle to stop abruptly, flinging the rider off and onto the ground.
Such accidents can result in strains and sprains, head injuries, spinal problems, and broken bones. A Spin scooter lawyer can determine whether an injured rider can bring an action for damages against the owner of the defective sidewalk. After such an accident, a rider should take photographs of the scene, preferably with a scale measurement to show the size of any defects at the time of the incident.
