If you are among the many people who ride a moped, motor scooter, or similar single-rider electric vehicle around Tempe, you probably know better than most how dangerous this type of travel can be. Unfortunately, it is far from uncommon for motor vehicle drivers to not see, ignore, or even act intentionally aggressively towards people on motor scooters and other small vehicles around them. Sometimes, that misconduct leads to crashes with devastating repercussions.
If you have been injured in a Vespa/motor scooter accident in Tempe, which was not your fault, you may have a right to demand civil restitution from the person or people to blame for the incident. However, if you want to get the best possible result from this unique type of civil claim, you will likely need the support of an experienced auto accident lawyer from Phillips Law Group who is willing to go to trial if necessary to get you paid fairly.
Under Arizona state law, motor scooters are treated differently from motorized bicycles, e-scooters, and other powered vehicles with very small engines. Anyone who owns a vehicle classified legally as a moped or motor-driven cycle must meet specific requirements, including:
Outside of these unique requirements, motorscooter riders are generally treated the same way as motorcyclists in terms of where the law allows them to ride, what traffic laws they are expected to follow, and what rights they have. Accordingly, any motor scooter rider in Tempe who gets involved in a traffic accident caused by another person’s negligence likely has the same right to file suit over the wreck as a person driving any other type of motor vehicle would.
Of course, the fact that someone other than a motor scooter’s rider was directly involved in a Tempe motor scooter wreck does not mean that another person is always legally at fault for the incident. Holding someone else financially accountable for losses stemming from a motor scooter crash generally requires proving that they were negligent in some way. This often entails showing that a specific reckless, careless, or illegal act of theirs was the main and direct cause of an accident that likely would not have happened otherwise.
Alternatively, some motor scooter wrecks happen partially or primarily because of a serious design or manufacturing defect in the motor scooter itself. In this case, the manufacturer of that defective component or the entire scooter may be strictly liable for ensuing injuries. A qualified legal professional can discuss the best approach to a particular claim during a free, no-obligation consultation.
Even if you wear appropriate protective gear and follow all the rules of the road, you are still at risk of sustaining serious injury on a motor scooter if someone else nearby fails to act as responsibly as you. Even worse, you may have a much harder time seeking civil compensation after a wreck like this than you would expect, especially if you try to do it alone.
At Phillips Law Group, we take pride in being locally owned and operated for more than three decades, and our lawyers work tirelessly on behalf of every client to ensure they get the restitution they deserve. Call today to speak with a team member about your legal options following a Vespa/motor scooter accident in Tempe.
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