Scooter and E-Scooter Accident Claims

Making a scooter or e-scooter claim

In most UK towns and cities, scooters and e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular ways of making short journeys.

But many e-scooter riders don’t realise that they aren’t legally allowed to be ridden on the road, unless they’re in a designated trial area. If you’re not in a trial area, e-scooters are only allowed to be ridden on private land.

Scooters – both manual and electric – are quiet. This can make it difficult for other road users to notice them and their riders. This can make the roads a dangerous place for people on scooters – and for those around them, especially pedestrians.

E-scooters in particular have started to cause concern around safety. In 2023, there were 1,273 collisions involving e-scooters on British roads.

If you’ve been hurt in an accident while riding a scooter or caused by someone on a scooter, you could be able to make a claim for compensation.

What are the rules around e-scooters?

The law defines e-scooters as ‘powered transporters’. According to the Department for Transport: “Given how powered transporters are motorised and designed, they fall within the legal definition of a ‘motor vehicle’. Therefore the laws that apply to motor vehicles apply to powered transporters.”

Currently, e-scooters can only be ridden on the roads in certain trial areas in the UK. In these areas, you are only allowed to ride an e-scooter on the road – never on the pavement. These areas include, but aren’t limited to:

• Cambridge
• Derby
• Liverpool
• Milton Keynes
• Newcastle
• Salford
• Slough
• York

If you ride an e-scooter illegally, you could be fined, receive penalty points on your driving licence and have your scooter confiscated. Riding illegally could also raise the risk of an accident.

How much compensation can I claim?

The amount of compensation you’re entitled to will depend on your injury and how much of an impact it will have on you. That makes it difficult to say exactly what you’ll be awarded for a successful claim without an initial chat.

But there are certain legal guidelines in place that will give you an idea of what you could receive. For example, a leg fracture could see you receive up to £17,180. Meanwhile, the loss of or damage to one front tooth could mean you’re awarded up to £4,820 in compensation.

You will also be entitled to compensation for any financial losses you’ve suffered as a result of your accident.

For example, if you had to stop working while you recovered, you could be entitled to claim back any lost earnings. You could also claim for the cost of medical treatment, any travel to and from medical appointments, as well as the cost of any personal belongings that were damaged in the accident.

You’ll need to keep the receipts and invoices from anything you spend to be able to claim it back, so don’t throw them away.

How can I pay for my claim?

If our solicitors think you have a strong claim, they will usually be able to take on your claim on a No Win No Fee basis.

This is a straightforward funding agreement that means our solicitors only receive payment for their work if you are awarded compensation. If your claim is not successful, there is no legal fee to pay. As a result, there is no financial risk involved in claiming.

A No Win No Fee agreement also means that there is nothing to pay upfront for your solicitor to start work on your claim. This means that instead of thinking about how to pay for your claim, you can focus on your recovery.

Only pay a fee if you receive compensation

Where we offer No Win No Fee services for road traffic accident claims typically customers pay 35% + VAT of the amount recovered by our solicitors.

Success fees are common practice and they were introduced when the law changed in April 2013. This amount is higher than the normal 25% on all other personal injury claims because of changes introduced through the Civil Liability Act 2018.

How long do I have to make a claim?

You will usually have three years from the date of your scooter accident to make a claim for compensation. Although this can sound like a long time, it’s always advisable to begin your claim as soon as possible.

This is because it can be easier to get certain pieces of evidence, such as CCTV or dash cam footage of your accident. You could also find it easier to recall the details of what happened.

But some people will have longer to start their claim. If you’re claiming on behalf of a child who was injured in a scooter accident, you can do so at any point until they turn 18. From that date, they will have three years to start their claim themselves.

If you’re not sure whether you can submit a claim in time, get in touch. The advisors at First4Lawyers will let you know whether you have a good chance of claiming and will set out your options for you.

Do I need evidence?

The more evidence you have, the stronger your claim will be. If our solicitors can prove that you were hurt by someone else’s negligence, you will have a good chance of claiming the compensation that could help your recovery.

Some of the best evidence you could provide includes:

• CCTV or dash cam footage
• Medical assessments – as part of your claim, you will have to have a medical
• Police reports
• Receipts and invoices
• Witness details and statements

To find out how the award-winning team at First4Lawyers could help you make your claim, just get in touch. Give us a call, request a call back or start your claim online.

Our customer stories

We've helped thousands of people claim compensation for injuries that weren't their fault. Just some of them include:

• Mr Clarke, who received £3,000 for a cycling accident
• Herman, who we helped after being hit by a car
• Hannah, who was awarded £1,800 for a bus accident