Scooter Ankle Injury Guide: Steps to Take After an Accident

Scooters can be fast and fun, but that’s only until you wind up seriously hurt on one. If you or someone you know was recently hurt in a scooter accident and your ankle was harmed in the process, you might be entitled to compensation. Your best bet to move forward from this unfortunate accident is to discuss your legal case with a personal injury attorney, like the trusted team at Morgan & Morgan.

The popularity of scooters means that more people, even adults, are on the move with these devices. But scooters do come with a risk.

If you were injured on a popular scooter because of the actions or inactions of others, reach out to Morgan & Morgan for a free case evaluation to learn more about your legal options.

The Reality of Scooter Injuries

Your child may have pressed you to get a scooter, but you may not have realized that it had the potential to leave them with serious injuries. An ankle injury from a scooter could seriously harm your child and leave them with far-reaching consequences and medical conditions to treat. As a parent, it is natural to wonder whether or not you have the legal right to pursue compensation. Not every situation involving ankle injury scooter accidents will necessarily become a lawsuit, but hiring experienced and qualified lawyers when you believe that an incident of negligence has happened is extremely important.

The attorneys at Morgan & Morgan know that it can be overwhelming to recover from any injury, particularly an ankle injury caused by a scooter. Scooter injuries are something most people don't recognize because of the fun promoted in the marketing surrounding scooters.

Scooters seem relatively safe and close enough to the ground such that they should not cause serious injuries. However, a recent study published in Clinical Pediatrics found that kick scooters are responsible for a 40% increase in injuries over the last two decades. Even for those people wearing a helmet, an ankle injury from a scooter is still a common issue. You might have a broken foot or other leg injury after such an accident, and if someone else caused this scenario, you should not have to pay the price.

In some cases, it might not be only your ankle impacted. Your entire foot could suffer problems, or you might even be diagnosed with a leg injury. There's a high price tag associated with recovering from injuries like a broken foot or injured knee, and you might even have to use mobility aids like knee scooters or knee walkers during your recovery period. Of course, this will impact your day-to-day life and could even affect your work and ability to earn income.

What Are the Best Safety Tips to Prevent Ankle Injury Scooter Incidents?

Wearing knee, elbow, and wrist protectors can help as well as wearing proper and supportive shoes. Open-toed shoes should never be worn on a scooter. Parental supervision is needed at all times to minimize the possibility of an ankle injury scooter emergency room trip. If your child has a kick scooter that allows them to catch some air off of the ground, landing on the scooter increases the possibility of serious injuries.

Repetitive use injuries, such as bone spurs, Achilles tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis can usually be prevented by wearing proper safety gear and making sure that a child always has parental supervision. However, acute injuries, such as contusions, cuts and abrasions, and fractures and sprains should all be taken much more seriously and shared with a medical professional as soon as possible.

Common Causes of Ankle Injury Scooter Lawsuits 

Some of the most common ankle injury scooter cases include problems, such as fractures and sprains, cuts and abrasions, and contusions. Fractures and sprains should always be taken seriously, and that includes taking your child to a podiatrist as soon as possible. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation should all be used up until this point. For cuts and abrasions, treat on a case-by-case basis. Some minor injuries can be treated with band-aids and antibacterials, but other more serious injuries may require a visit to a pediatrician or the emergency room.

For contusions, which are similar to large bruises, it is important to visit with a podiatrist to rule out more serious injuries. Children undergoing growth spurts are also at risk for another type of ankle injury scooters can cause. This is known as plantar fasciitis due to heel pain starting between ages 8 and 13 for girls and between ages 8 and 15 for boys. The growth plate of the heel bone involves a strip of soft tissue where new bone is forming to accommodate lengthening feet. Constantly pushing down on the scooter, repeated pounding, or overuse can all cause inflammation and heel pain affecting the plantar fascia. Achilles tendon issues are another type of ankle injury scooter case.

Although it is important to be physically active, it is also important to be mindful of your child's development and to ensure that they wear a helmet every time they are using a scooter.

What About Electric Scooters?

Even adults are not entirely safe from ankle injury scooter accidents. The popularity of shared electric scooters across the country continues to grow, but so too do the reported injuries associated with those scooters. The bulk of the injuries includes trauma to the foot or ankle and bone fractures.

However, injuries such as those affecting the collarbone, scapula wrist, and ribs can also occur. Bone fractures impact approximately 35% of injured riders and 19% of those suffering multiple injuries to numerous body parts. Other common injuries include bruises, scrapes, and organ damage. In some cases, even for adults, brain trauma is possible, especially when a scooter is not worn. In 2018, research from the National Association of City Transportation showed that over 38.5 million trips were taken on e-scooters.

What Are the Most Common Reasons for Scooter Injuries?

If the scooter itself is defective, this can increase the possibility that someone riding it gets hurt. You are counting on a scooter to operate safely and effectively and for the manufacturer to provide you with relevant information about the scooter and the best ways to stay safe on it when you rent it or use it. However, scooter injuries can also occur for other reasons, such as riding through or near traffic. Some riders have even struck pedestrians, causing injury to both the pedestrian and the rider. Ankle injury scooter collisions can also happen with curbs, cars, poles, and other objects. Faulty wheels or brakes are some of the most common reasons for defective parts on the scooter. Alcohol or other distractions, however, have also been a factor in many reported ankle injury scooter incidents.

What Should I Do Next if I've Been Hurt?

If you have been seriously injured as a result of an ankle injury scooter accident, you need to get medical attention immediately. Some of the symptoms of your pain may not present right away and it is common that these can develop in the hours or even days following the incident. However, it is extremely important to schedule a time to meet with a medical professional after an accident.

Finding an attorney is the next best step if you believe that another person's negligence was the cause of your accident. If you can show that someone else was under the influence of alcohol or was not paying attention behind the wheel at the time that they struck you on a scooter, this information could be used to pursue a personal injury claim. There are many different factors associated with pursuing a personal injury claim, and getting a free case evaluation with an attorney at Morgan & Morgan can help you to clarify whether or not you have grounds for a legal case.

Why Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer Right Away? 

Take your case seriously by consulting with a knowledgeable lawyer who can give you further information about how to proceed and what kinds of evidence must be collected in order for you to move forward with a case. In a personal injury or defective product lawsuit, you have a limited window of time in which to pursue a case. This is known as “the statute of limitations.” Check with your lawyer about the statute of limitations in your area, as these rules differ from state to state.

Failing to file your case within the statute of limitations could bar you from being able to recover compensation. It is crucial that you meet with a lawyer who has experience in ankle injury scooter cases so that you can receive proper advice about how to proceed.

The sooner you begin speaking to an attorney, the easier it will be to gather the evidence you need to prove your claim. If you want to ensure that you have the best chance to recover compensation, work with a lawyer who can make a strong case on your behalf.

Contact Morgan & Morgan for Help

If you have been injured in a scooter accident that wasn’t your fault, reach out to Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to get more information about your options. We’re here to help.