Man Killed in Scooter-Motorcycle Accident
Scooters can be fun to ride, but they’re small and often hard to see. Larger vehicles may not expect to see them on the road, leading to serious and even fatal accidents.
Sadly, this was recently the case in Escambia County. A man’s scooter was hit by a motorcycle, causing the man to die. The fatal accident occurred on the evening of December 13 in Brent.
A 63-year-old Pensacola man was crossing the road. He was walking his scooter near the intersection of Beverly Parkway and Concordia Boulevard. At the same time, a 29-year-old motorcyclist, also from Pensacola, was heading east on Beverly Parkway. That was when the motorcycle collided with the man and his scooter.
The man died at the accident scene. The motorcyclist was taken to Baptist Hospital and is currently in critical condition. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, criminal charges are pending in the case.
Causes of Scooter Accidents
There are many scooter users in Florida and it’s easy to see why. Scooters are fuel-efficient and cost-effective. They are also fun to ride, no matter your age.
But the fun ends when someone hits a scooter rider and leaves them with painful injuries. These accidents are often severe and often leave riders struggling to cope with the physical, emotional, and financial damage that remains.
One of the biggest risks of riding a scooter is a lack of visibility. Due to the small size of a scooter, you’re pretty much invisible to other drivers on the road. It’s not uncommon for the drivers of cars, SUVs, trucks, and big rigs to barely notice scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. This is called “inattentional blindness,” which means that the driver looked but failed to see.
Left turns are also dangerous. Left-turn accidents commonly involve scooters. They occur when a scooter is heading straight down the road, but another vehicle makes a left turn immediately in front of the scooter, causing an accident. Again, visibility plays a role here. Even though scooters have headlights, they can cause optical illusions in which the small size makes the scooter look further away. For this reason, vehicle drivers often think they have more time to make a left turn.
Also, keep in mind that many scooter accidents are caused by rideshare drivers. Drivers for Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare companies are under intense time pressure and are sometimes distracted by the app they use to make their income. They are constantly picking up and dropping off passengers, so they come into frequent contact with the shoulder of the road, along the curb, and near sidewalks, which are all places where scooters tend to travel.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Crashes involving smaller vehicles such as scooters are often catastrophic and can even be deadly.
While these vehicles can be popular transportation options in the Sunshine State, other motorists are not always careful around them. Contact a Bradenton moped & scooter accident lawyer from Cahall Law Firm for help with your case. To schedule a free consultation, call (941) 281-2019 or fill out the online form.
Source:
weartv.com/news/local/1-dead-after-motorcycle-crash-in-escambia-county
