Lime Class Action Lawsuit Says Riders Injured By Electric Scooters

More than 40 Lime scooter rental customers have filed a class action lawsuit alleging they sustained serious injuries while riding the company’s defective scooters.

The plaintiffs say the Lime scooter rental company doesn’t properly maintain its scooters and allows defective scooters to remain in service.

The alleged defective or poorly maintained parts include the brakes, throttle, wheels and handlebars. In addition, the riders allege injuries caused by geofencing.

Segway, the manufacturer of Lime scooters, has also been named as a defendant.

Lead plaintiff Danny Aguilar of New York says he rented a Lime electric scooter in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Dec. 7, 2018.

While riding the scooter, Aguilar hit a pothole when he was forced to avoid an oncoming vehicle, the Lime scooter class action lawsuit claims. 

As a result, Aguilar says he broke his left wrist and had to have surgery with hardware.

According to the Lime scooter rental class action lawsuit, the scooters’ throttles are also defective.

Plaintiff Haninah Abdullah of California says while riding a rented Lime scooter Nov. 3, 2018, the throttle unexpectedly stuck, “launching” her to the ground.

 Abdullah says she broke her left arm in the fall and cut her eyebrow, which required six stitches.

The Lime scooter rental company is also being accused of not maintaining the wheels on its scooters.

The complaint says plaintiff Joshua Wolf of California was riding his rented Lime Scooter in July 2018 when the wheel stuck as he drove up a driveway curb from a bike lane.

As a result, Wolf claims he sustained several major fractures in his left arm.

The plaintiffs in the Lime scooter rental class action lawsuit also claim the scooters can suddenly stop and cause injuries due to geofencing.

Plaintiff Osvaldo Tijerin of Los Angeles says he rented a Lime scooter in April 2019, and as he was riding, one of the wheels “slipped, locked and turned,” throwing Tijerin from the scooter.

Tijerin claims he broke his left ankle in the incident, requiring two surgeries: one to insert hardware and one to remove it.

Plaintiff Bianca McMahan says she believes she and her husband’s scooters slowed down unexpectedly upon entering a geofencing zone.

According to the complaint, the scooters then suddenly sped up, causing her husband to run into her.

She claims she was thrown to the ground and suffered two broken ankle bones, which required surgery.

In addition, the plaintiffs believe the Lime scooter handlebars to be defective. 

One plaintiff, Justin Steel, says the handlebars on his Lime rental scooter detached as he was riding, causing him to break three bones in his ankle. He claims his injuries also required surgery with hardware.

The other plaintiffs reported similar experiences and injuries sustained while using their Lime rental scooters.

According to the Lime scooter rental class action lawsuit, the company employs “juicers” who pick up the scooters and charge them at their homes, then return them to the public.

The plaintiffs claim these “juicers” aren’t paid if they report a defective scooter to Lime and don’t put it back in rotation. 

The “juicers” are not paid to maintain the scooters, according to the Lime class action lawsuit.

“Upon information and belief, the Lime scooters are defective, as manufactured and designed, or not properly maintained, leading to dangerous nuisance,” the complaint says.

The class action lawsuit says people are seriously injured while riding because they are “unaware of the clear failure to maintain the scooters, the defective nature of the scooters, the unlikelihood that liability coverage would apply to injuries, and the dangers associated with the scooters.”

Lime faces two other recent class action lawsuits.

One accuses Lime and the city of San Diego of failing to keep transit stops and other areas accessible for people with disabilities because of the way the scooters are parked.

Lime has also been included in a class action lawsuit that alleges several electric scooter companies dump thousands of scooters onto streets in California, compromising public safety.

The plaintiffs in the Lime scooter injuries class action lawsuit seek general damages, economic damages, past medical and related expenses, interest on damages, court costs, attorneys’ fees and any other relief the Court deems just.

They also demand a jury trial.

Have you been injured while riding a Lime rental scooter? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Mike Arias, Alfredo Torrijos and Christopher A.J. Swift of Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos LLP, and Daniel McGee and Catherine Lerer of McGee, Lerer & Associates.

The Lime Scooter Injuries Class Action Lawsuit is Danny Alguilar, et al. v. Neutron Holdings Inc. d/b/a Lime, Case No. CGC-20-586037, in California Superior Court for the County of San Francisco.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

Equestrian Federation, George Morris Named in Sex Abuse Lawsuits

Apple Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over MacBook Pro Display Issue

Hackensack Meridian Health Sued Because of Hospital Ransomware Attack

Sex Trafficking Survivor Appointed to U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking