When are Electric Scooters coming to Tampa?
Tampa is getting ready to welcome electric scooters to its streets as part of its new Shared Motorized Scooter Pilot Program. If all goes according to plan, around 2,000 e-scooters will be introduced into certain areas of Tampa in February 2019.
In October, Tampa’s city government announced they would be accepting applications from ride-sharing companies until November 9, 2018. No more than three electric scooter companies who meet Tampa’s safety requirements will be allowed to operate during this one-year pilot program.
According to BizJournals.com, a few of the big-name companies that have sent in their applications to Tampa include Bird, JUMP, and Skip. Other companies also vying for this position include Coast Bike Share, Sharp Marketing, RSA Consulting Group, and Skinny Labs.
One company conspicuously absent from the Tampa application list was Lime. Based in San Francisco, Lime is a leader in the e-scooter space. They have devices in hundreds of cities around the world. Floridians can currently ride on Lime e-scooters in cities like North Bay Village, Key Biscayne, and certain areas in Miami.
In addition, Tampa is looking into how these e-scooter companies promote safety through educational campaigns. Tampa officials want these companies to freely share financial data with the city. In fact, all companies that apply must also be financially stable. And, willing to share safety data with the city throughout the program.
During the pilot, city planners will allow no more than 300 e-scooters in each of the four designated areas in the city. The four locations participating in this pilot program include downtown and the areas north, east, and west of downtown.
One exception to this 300 e-scooter limit is the area between Martin Luther King Boulevard and East Columbus Drive. These streets could have up to 600 e-scooters.
Will electric scooters result in injuries?
To help increase street safety during this e-scooter rollout public safety officials are planning to create 180 designated areas where Tampa riders can place their e-scooters. One of the major issues surrounding e-scooter use in major cities has to do with parking. Like parking these devices in hazardous areas like on sidewalks.
In most cities, scooters must ride on streets or in bike lanes. However, in Tampa, scooters will likely only be ridden on sidewalks. Injuries from these scooters are likely to include head injuries from people falling off of them. As well as, scooters hitting pedestrians causing injuries. In many other parts of the country, cars have hit scooter riders. To help reduce some of these potential injuries, Tampa is asking scooter companies to govern their scooters so they max out at 8MPH.
After this year-long pilot program is up, safety experts will review the data from the different participating companies. Tampa will then most likely pick one company to operate throughout the entire city.
INJURED IN A SCOOTER ACCIDENT?
The first thing to do is to attend to your immediate medical needs. But then you may want to consider speaking to an attorney about your circumstances. There are many questions about insurance and compensation that get raised when injuries occur on these scooters.
Whose insurance will pay? What if I’m at fault, can any of my medical bills be paid? Can the scooter company be made to pay?
Present all these questions—and many more—to an attorney familiar with these scooters, insurance, and personal injury. At RHINO Lawyers, our personal injury team offers a free consultation where we can evaluate your case and outline where your compensation might come from.
RHINO Lawyers is the powerful, results-driven law firm, that takes Insurance Companies and Bullies “head-on!” We describe our bold modern approach to “Accident & Personal Injury Law” and “Our Personal Mission” to empower Florida’s families to “Take Charge!”
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Port Sutton Motorcycle Crash Ends Tragically
Port Sutton motorcycle crash ends tragically. A pick-up truck pulled out in front of a motorcycle causing a crash that left the rider of the motorcycle dead. The tragedy happened around 8 am, Thursday, January 3, 2019. According to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy at the scene, the driver of the pick-up was waiting at Madison Ave. along Dacca Dr. at a stop sign for a car to pass.
Once the car cleared, she pulled out but didn’t see the motorcycle trailing behind the car, and she drove right into its path. The rider of the motorcycle attempted to swerve, but it wasn’t enough and he died at the scene.
Motorcycle Crashes
Riding a motorcycle is far more dangerous than being in a car. In fact, when looking at miles traveled, a person is 35 times more likely to be killed on a motorcycle than in a car. The number one factor in motorcycle-vehicle crashes where the vehicle driver was at fault is the conspicuousness of the motorcycle.
This means that in most crashes involving a motorcycle and a car, the car driver doesn’t see the motorcycle and then either collides with the bike or pulls into its path.
Motorcycle Injuries
When a motorcycle rider is involved in an accident, there are some common injuries that occur. They are:
- Road rash
- Facial fractures and disfigurement
- Broken bones
- Limb amputations
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
These injuries can cause significant other losses to the injured biker. Loss of time from work, medical bills, replacement transportation costs, loss of quality of life, PTSD and pain and suffering are all losses and damages that cyclists face when in an accident.
Do I need an Attorney?
If you or a loved one is involved in a motorcycle accident and are seriously injured, you need to at least talk to an attorney. You don’t have to hire one to make a claim, but before you do anything, talk to someone who can advise you of the law and your rights and knows how to handle the insurance company and their lawyers.
Contact a Tampa Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Always contact a motorcycle accident attorney after any crash involving a serious injury or loss of a loved one. RHINO Lawyers is the powerful, results-driven law firm, that takes Insurance Companies and Bullies “head-on!”
Anyone injured due to the negligence of a driver in Florida may contact us for a free consultation. Our personal injury team will offer you advice to help you get the compensation you deserve.
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Tragic Multi-Car Crash Kills Woman in Zephyrhills
Hit twice in a multi-car crash on U.S. 301 around 6:25 a.m., Wednesday, January 2, 2019, a 25-year-old woman died. According to a Florida Highway Trooper at the scene, the deceased was driving a Nissan Altima and slowed to turn into a parking lot when it was hit by an SUV which pushed the Nissan into the path of another car which also struck the Nissan.
Tragically, the impact of the second car flipped the Nissan severely injuring the driver. Paramedic flew the driver to St. Joseph’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Multi-Car Pile-Ups
There are several common factors in multi-car pile-ups. First is the risk of multiple stricks of one or more of the cars. A common scenario is when two cars collide and come to a rest. Then oncoming cars unable to stop slam into the car. This happens often on freeways and highways where cars are going at higher speeds and have little time to avoid the cars in front.
Another scenario is where the cars are on city or urban streets and a car immediately in front slows or slams on the brakes not leaving the car behind enough time to stop, and then this happens again to a car further behind resulting in multiple cars colliding.
What to do to Avoid a Multi-Car Crash
The best thing to do is to always be vigilant and watch the cars in front of you and leave enough time in case you have to stop suddenly. If you get in an accident where the possibility of getting struck by another vehicle exists. Experts say to stay in the vehicle and leave your seatbelt on. It’s natural to want to get out, but there is more protection in a car. Plus, the chance of injury is greater when struck in person outside your car.
However, they also say that if there is an overriding need to get out—such as a fire—then it’s, of course, best to exit the vehicle.
First Responders
Multi-car crashes present unique problems to first responders as well. Their first responsibility is to secure the scene and keep further accidents from occurring. This is often done by putting out flares or reflectors to warn the oncoming motorists. The next order of business is to assess the injuries and determine if anyone needs immediate attention, and then get those who need further treatment to the hospital.
How is Fault Determined?
Determining fault is usually a secondary concern to the victims as their focus on getting better. However, eventually, the financial losses pile up and focus in then turned to the issue of compensation. In most multi-vehicle crashes, investigators have a difficult task determining what happened due to the multiple impacts and the scope of the scene. They issue a report once finished. Insurance companies and the courts use the report to determine who was at fault.
In multi-vehicle crashes, it is often the case that several people are at fault for a portion of the accident. One might not be at fault in one collision but is in another. This clouds the issue of who’s to blame and gives leverage to insurance companies who will all point the finger at the other drivers.
Contact a Tampa Auto Accident Lawyer
Always contact an attorney after any crash involving a serious injury or loss of a loved one.
RHINO Lawyers is the powerful, results-driven law firm, that takes Insurance Companies and Bullies “head-on!”
Anyone injured due to the negligence of another driver in Florida may call us for a free consultation. Our personal injury team will offer you advice to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Read More