injured in a Limebike accident?

Although riders may not have very many legal options if they are injured while riding a Lime, pedestrians have many more. If you’re just walking down the street, you didn’t agree to the binding arbitration clause of Lime’s user agreement. You also don’t have any agreement with a rider not to sue them if their negligent riding causes you harm. Pedestrians have more access to legal recourse than riders against the company. Additionally, they are still able to seek compensation for injuries caused by other people, such as other bike riders or motor vehicle operators.

Pedestrians injured by discarded Limes

One of the biggest issues that Lime has encountered since its birth is riders locking and discarding Limes all over the place. Bikes and scooters have been found in front yards, in the middle of sidewalks, on the side of the street, and various other unsafe locations. This leaves the door wide open for people to get hurt.

In July of 2018, Lime had to pay thousands of dollars to recover 94 impounded bikes and scooters that were discarded at random locations in Coronado – a city where Lime did not have the necessary permits to operate*. The problem with riders dropping dockless Limes wherever they please is that they could cause injury before a Lime employee is able to recover them or before a city impounds them.

Let’s say that you were walking down the sidewalk and when you took a sharp corner, you tripped over a scooter. You fell to the ground and broke your wrist while trying to catch yourself. Who is responsible? The rider who discarded the scooter or Lime? The May Firm would argue both.

If you are a pedestrian who found yourself injured by a Lime docked in an improper or unsafe location, such as in the middle of the sidewalk, contact The May Firm. We will assess your options and determine how to best move forward with your case.

Due to the binding arbitration clause in Lime’s user agreement that riders are required to consent to in order to rent a bike or scooter, it is unlikely that you will hear about Lime being sued by a rider in the news. The company has, however, had some run-ins with some of the cities that its Limes have ended up in and has been deemed a nuisance to many.

Required permits

Unlike some of its competitors, Lime has typically made a point to comply with the permit requirements of the cities in which it operates. While this may sound positive, the problem lies in the fact that permits became necessary in the first place. San Francisco, for example, had never previously required scooter permits, but made the move to do so after Limes (as well as bikes and scooters from other companies) began to litter sidewalks and take up public space all over the city**. The city went so far as to require Lime to remove its bikes and scooters until they are properly permitted.

As of August 2018, the city of San Francisco has declined to extend operating permits to Lime***. This means that the company cannot legally operate there.

Limes scattered everywhere

One of the biggest issues that cities are having with Lime are the bikes and scooters littering the sidewalks and public spaces. Although Lime suggests that riders leave their Limes at designated bike racks, riders have been leaving them wherever they please with little to no regard for the safety of others. If you own or rent property in one of the cities in which Lime operates, you might be unpleasantly surprised to find a horde of neon green bikes in your front lawn or right in front of your front steps. At that point, you’ve got to either relocate them yourself or leave them in your way until random strangers come to claim them for their own use. This hardly seems fair if you weren’t the one using the bikes in the first place.

Another problem with Lime bikes and scooters being left scattered all over the place is that the risk of someone getting injured is heightened. If a rider locks and leaves a scooter in the bike lane, another bicyclist might have to swerve to avoid it, putting themselves at risk for being struck by a car in the process. People may take a corner and trip on a locked bike left in the middle of the sidewalk.