Just about everyone has seen those rental scooters on sidewalks around the Bay Area.
Now, Silicon Valley startups are spreading those shareable scooters around the world.
Not everyone is happy about it.
Emergency rooms are reporting an influx of people severely injured while using scooters.
The alarm is starting to sound on the e-Scooter invasion.
Victor San Andres was riding last June in New York when he says his e-Scooter brakes locked up.
He went down face first and suffered lacerations on his face.
San Andres says a bystander found him unconscious and helped him the few blocks to his house. He admits he was not wearing a helmet because he didn’t think he was going too fast.
Doctors and lawyers are seeing crashes like this every day.
Some are pushing back, accusing e-Scooter startups of putting profits over rider safety.
“We’re seeing all sorts of particularly egregious accidents occurring due to these devices themselves simply not holding up, breaks not working, wheels falling off, just very basic stuff,” Shepherd Center Physician Dr. Ford Vox said.
e-Scooter riders can be hard to spot on the road.
Last month in Cleveland, a driver struck and killed a 21-year-old woman.
The driver was under the influence and charged with a homicide.
“I’ve already had one patient who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury,” Dr. Vox said.
While no official stats exist, some ERs say they are seeing an influx of scooter-related injuries. Cedars Sinai Hospital in California told CNN that patients are regularly coming in requiring urgent surgery. Because the devices are so new, insurance policies may not cover any resulting medical bills.
In the past year, California-based Bird has launched shareable e-Scooters rented via smartphone apps in more than 40 cities worldwide and is now valued at an eye-popping $2 billion.
“The goal of Bird is to reduce car traffic and trips,” Bird CEO and Founder Travis Vanderzanden said. “People have been trying to find ways to get Americans out of cars for a long time, and we think Bird can have a big impact.”
Bird says users should be 18 or older, follow local traffic laws, and should wear a helmet.
Critics say riders routinely break those rules.
In a statement, Bird told CNN, “Safety is our top priority. For those involved in any incidents with Bird scooters, we strongly recommend reporting these to Bird so we can take necessary action on our platform.”
San Andres claims, “the wheel twisted because the brakes they just launch on their own.”
San Andres has sued the maker of his scooter, a company called Immotor, for negligence. Immotor didn’t respond to multiple attempts for comment.
For San Andres, he’s already issued his own verdict on the technology. He says he is not trying another e-Scooter.
On Friday night, a man in Dallas was reportedly killed after crashing a scooter.