Lime and Bird electric scooters are popping up around Southern California. These rent-and-go scooters are mostly used around SoCal beaches but have more recently made their way into the city of Los Angeles. Recently, the LA City Council put regulations on Lime and Bird scooters, including a 15 miles per hour speed limit and requiring companies to remove scooters off of sidewalks if they are a hazard.

Bird and Lime scooters are a way of transportation in and around the city. Some people have left them lying around and bystanders are being injured, either because drivers do not pay attention to the road or because pedestrians walk through the scooters.

BIRDS AND LIMES SCOOTERS CAUSING INJURIES

In the last week, two individuals have filed class-action lawsuits against Lime and Bird, stating  they are “aiding and abetting assault.” According to KABC, one of the plaintiffs, David Petersen, was run into by a person on an electric scooter and the collision broke his right arm and severed his bicep. A similar situation occurred to Tina Ogata, when she tripped over a group of Bird scooters and broke her wrist. The plaintiff’s lawyers explained that “Lime and Bird are liable companies because the companies knew their scooter riders were injuring pedestrians and failed to take steps to prevent the collisions.”

Along with these injuries, there has been a fatality due to a Lime Bird scooter, according to the Washington Post.

The company had a different perspective on the issue. According to KABC, Bird issued a statement saying, “class action attorneys with a real interest to improve transportation safety should be focused on reducing the 40,000 deaths caused by cars every year.”

DRIVING AND PARKING       

Many people have comments, both positive and negative, regarding these scooter companies.

“Lime and Bird shouldn’t have to do anything because it is the people who are at fault,” said sophomore art major Valerie Bether. “There has to be common sense in the service that they are using.”