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Our firm maintains an impressive 99% win rate, even while accepting difficult cases other law firms have turned away.
We are not afraid of trial, and insurance companies know this. If it’s in your best interest, we are always trial ready.
Most people in today’s modern world know that at the touch of a button, they can order a driver from companies like Uber and Lyft to take them wherever they need to go. Although this option is convenient, it may not always be the most eco-friendly. A more “green” alternative has sprouted up in cities across the United States in recent years: scooter and bikeshare companies. These companies, including LimeBike, Spin, and Bird, work much the same way that Uber and Lyft do except customers can rent electric bicycles and scooters.
Scooter and bikesharing has become especially popular in warm cities, such as Long Beach. Although riding a bike to and from dinner downtown is certainly not ideal in cold, snowy cities, it is the perfect alternative to walking or driving a car in cities that have much warmer weather. Long Beach is often very sunny and has warm weather throughout the year. This makes it the perfect city for bike and scootershare companies to set up shop!
Some of the more common accidents that involve bikes and scooters in Long Beach involve some sort of collision with a car. Sometimes, the accident may have been caused by the person riding the bike because they failed to obey traffic laws and rode through an intersection. In that case, the rider would be at fault. In other cases, someone on a bike or scooter may find themselves injured when someone in a car or a truck blows through an intersection or takes a right turn without looking.
Bicycle and scooter accidents can be made more or less serious depending on whether the rider was wearing a helmet. As a general rule of thumb, you should wear a helmet whenever you ride something with wheels – especially if it has a motor! In a contest of skull vs. pavement, the pavement is going to win every time. Protect your head!
When most people hear “bike accident” or “scooter accident,” they think about some sort of collision. However, The May Firm is seeing more and more cases involving a bike or scooter being left in a random place and someone tripping or otherwise being injured by it. Electric bikes and scooters generally need to be parked in designated bike racks; there is no reason for them to be left in the middle of the sidewalk. Unfortunately, there are a lot of careless people who can’t be bothered to keep their rides out of the way of foot traffic. This means that there is a new breed of bike and scooter accident in town – the trip hazard!
Most bike and scootershare companies have user contracts that you must agree to avail yourself to if you want to use their services – that is, to be able to rent a bike or scooter through an app. These contracts almost always have a binding arbitration clause, which means that if you are injured while using their bike or scooter, you give up your right to sue the company and have your day in court. Instead, you have to attend arbitration, which is usually a one-on-one meeting between yourself and a representative from the company with a third-party who will serve as the decision-maker. You would argue your case to the arbitrator and the arbitrator would make a decision that you are legally bound by. Unlike a trial verdict, you cannot appeal a decision made in binding arbitration. Additionally, arbitration is confidential while a trial is not. Therefore, if you suffer serious injuries while riding with a bike or scootershare company and it was because of something that the company did wrong (such as a mechanical issue), the public will never know anything about it. This type of secrecy is something that The May Firm is against.
There are some bike and scootershare companies that allow you to waive the binding arbitration clause so long as you submit that waiver in writing within a short period of time after your very first ride – usually within two weeks. If you do that, you’ll be able to sue the company for your injuries if you are later hurt while using their services. You’ll want to meet with a personal injury lawyer with experience in handling bikeshare and scootershare cases in order to assess the strength of your case and develop an attack plan.
The May Firm is staffed with experienced personal injury lawyers who understand the ins and outs of bringing claims against scooter and bikeshare companies. If you were injured in any way while riding with a bike or scootershare company and are wondering if you have a viable claim against the company, contact The May Firm. We can assess whether you are bound by any provisions of the user agreements, advise you regarding arbitration, and even file a civil case and represent you in court if you are ultimately not bound by an arbitration clause. If you want to know your options, give us a call!
Disclaimer: Information on this page is designed for general information purposes only and should not be interpreted as being legal advice or a legal opinion on specific facts or circumstances. You should always consult with an attorney before making a decision about your case. Pages are updated periodically but information provided on this page may not be up to date as circumstances may change over time. Please see our LEGAL DISCLAIMERS page for additional legal disclaimers.
853 Atlantic Avenue, Suite #201
Long Beach, California, 90813
Contact us to get started. It is important to have the proper legal representation on your side if you’re involved in a motorcycle crash. Often wrongful blame is placed on the rider in a multi-vehicle collision due to the increased risk that comes with riding a motorcycle. Insurance companies are reluctant to side with the motorcyclist and oftentimes will attempt to place the full or partial blame on them. Don’t accept that blame and the legal repercussions that come with it.
Call (866) 619-6679 to schedule a free consultation with our award-winning motorcycle accident lawyers. We’ll help determine the viability of your case based on your testimony and help you determine the best way to proceed. Working on a contingency fee means our lawyers are only compensated when your case or settlement is won, and our extensive experience and case history allow us to settle most claims out of court, giving you a faster resolution to your case and allowing you to focus on your recovery process. We factor in every possible expense when building your settlement: Medical bills, wage loss, property damage, and emotional suffering are all considered. Our goal is to help you put your life back in order to the best of our ability.
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