California Electric Scooter Accidents Statistics
The surge in Bird scooter and e-scooter injuries across California reflects a nationwide pattern driven by rapid deployment without adequate safety infrastructure or public education. The following figures document the scale of the crisis and inform the legal arguments available to injured riders.
- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated that micromobility products — including e-scooters, e-bikes, and hoverboards — were associated with approximately 233,000 emergency department-treated injuries in 2022, up from an estimated 155,900 in 2021, representing nearly a 50% increase in a single year.
- According to CDC transportation safety research, approximately 40% of electric scooter fatalities involve head injuries — a statistic that directly implicates California’s 2019 decision to remove the mandatory helmet requirement for adult riders under Assembly Bill 2989.
- A peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Surgery found that e-scooter injuries increased by 222% between 2014 and 2018 as dockless scooter services expanded into major U.S. cities — a rate of injury growth that dramatically outpaced the speed of safety regulation and enforcement.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 360 micromobility fatalities in 2021, with e-scooters accounting for the majority of deaths in that category — a 44% increase from 2019 levels that corresponds directly with the nationwide expansion of Bird and similar services into California’s urban centers.
These numbers confirm that Bird scooter accidents are not isolated incidents — they are a predictable consequence of deploying high-speed vehicles in pedestrian environments without adequate safety systems. For injured riders and their attorneys, the statistics also matter legally: they establish that Bird and similar companies knew or reasonably should have known of the serious injury risk their products posed, strengthening both negligence and strict products liability theories of recovery.
How Does Compass Law Group Help Bird Scooter Accident Victims?
Compass Law Group, LLP was founded by attorneys Joseph Shirazi (California Bar #265403) and Simon Esfandi (California Bar #275307) and has recovered more than $250 million for California injury victims across a wide range of personal injury claims. Our firm represents injured riders from offices in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, and Bell Gardens — providing local representation with state-wide litigation resources and the financial capacity to take complex product liability cases to trial when necessary.
“Bird scooter accident cases require rapid evidence preservation and a sophisticated understanding of both California product liability law and the Vehicle Code framework governing micromobility,” says Joseph Shirazi, Managing Partner of Compass Law Group. “The scooter’s onboard telemetry, Bird’s maintenance logs, and municipal road condition records all exist — but they must be secured immediately before data is overwritten or documents are destroyed. We move within hours of being retained to send evidence preservation demands and lock down every record that matters.” Our attorneys also retain accident reconstruction experts when the circumstances of a crash are disputed, building the evidentiary foundation for maximum recovery at every stage.
Whether you are seeking a Los Angeles bicycle accident lawyer familiar with California’s micromobility legal framework or a Sacramento bicycle accident lawyer for an accident in the capital region, Compass Law Group offers the local knowledge and state-wide resources to handle your case from investigation through settlement or verdict. Our firm also handles traditional bicycle accident cases throughout California and fully understands the overlapping regulatory and liability landscape governing all shared-road riders.
Product liability principles are central to many Bird scooter accident claims — particularly when a mechanical defect in the scooter’s brakes, throttle, or battery system contributed to the crash. As we explored in our related article Are Manufacturers Liable for Dangerous Playground Equipment? A California Parent’s Guide, California’s strict products liability doctrine holds manufacturers accountable for defective products that injure users who reasonably trusted the product’s safety. When Bird deploys a scooter with a known brake failure pattern or a software glitch that causes sudden acceleration, our personal injury attorneys pursue every available theory of recovery — strict liability, negligence, and breach of warranty — to maximize your compensation without requiring you to pay a dollar unless we win.
Q: Can I sue Bird Scooters directly if their scooter malfunctioned and caused my accident?
Yes. If a Bird scooter’s brakes, throttle, battery system, or structural components failed due to a manufacturing defect or inadequate maintenance, you may have a direct product liability claim against Bird’s parent company under California’s strict liability doctrine, first established in Greenman v. Yuba Power Products (1963). Strict liability does not require proving the company was negligent — only that the product was defective when it left the manufacturer’s control and that the defect caused your injury. Act quickly: Bird’s telemetry data documenting speed and brake performance may be overwritten within days of the accident, and preserving it is critical to your case.
Q: Does California require helmets for Bird scooter riders?
Since Assembly Bill 2989 took effect on January 1, 2019, California no longer requires helmets for electric scooter riders aged 18 and older under Vehicle Code § 21235. Riders under 18 are still legally required to wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet. However, an adult riding without a helmet is not automatically barred from recovering compensation — California’s pure comparative fault system allows recovery even when the injured party bears some responsibility. Riding without a helmet may reduce the damages awarded if your head injuries could foreseeably have been prevented or reduced by helmet use, but it does not eliminate your right to compensation from a negligent driver or defective scooter company.
Q: Who pays my medical bills after a Bird scooter accident in California?
In the immediate aftermath, your own health insurance covers emergency treatment. Through the personal injury claim process, you can then seek full reimbursement of all past and future medical expenses from the responsible parties. If a motor vehicle driver caused the accident, their auto liability insurance is typically the primary source of recovery. Bird carries commercial liability insurance for its fleet. If a government road defect contributed to the crash, the city or county may also be liable — but you must file a government tort claim within six months. An experienced California scooter accident attorney will identify all available insurance sources and pursue maximum recovery from every responsible party simultaneously.
Q: Can I recover compensation if I was riding the Bird scooter on the sidewalk, which is prohibited under California law?
Yes, potentially. California’s pure comparative fault system under Civil Code § 1714 allows injured parties to recover compensation even if they were partly responsible for the accident. If you were riding illegally on a sidewalk, a jury would assign you a percentage of fault and reduce your damages by that proportion — but you would not be completely barred from recovery if another party also contributed to the accident. California does not follow the contributory negligence rule used in some other states, which bars all recovery for any plaintiff fault. Even if you bear significant responsibility, the full picture of liability is worth evaluating with an attorney before assuming you have no claim.
Q: How long does a Bird scooter accident case typically take to resolve in California?
Most Bird scooter accident cases resolve through settlement rather than trial, typically within 6 to 18 months when liability is reasonably clear and injuries are fully documented. Cases with disputed fault, significant injuries requiring medical stabilization before valuation, or government entity defendants often take 2 to 3 years to fully resolve. Filing a lawsuit — even when settlement is the ultimate goal — is important both to preserve your rights within the two-year statute of limitations under CCP § 335.1 and to signal to defendants that you are prepared to take the case to a jury. Compass Law Group handles all qualifying scooter accident cases on a contingency basis, meaning we are paid only when you recover.
No Win, No Fee — Compass Law Group, LLP | Call (213) 320-1001
Source: Compass Law Group | Electric Scooter Accidents
Steps to Take After an Electric Scooter Accident
The actions you take in the minutes and hours following a Bird scooter accident can determine whether you recover full compensation or leave critical value on the table. Evidence disappears, scooter telemetry is overwritten, and witness memories fade rapidly. These steps reflect Compass Law Group’s experience handling hundreds of California personal injury cases involving electric scooters and shared micromobility devices.
- Call 911 if you or anyone is injured. Even if your injuries appear minor, a police report creates an official record linking the accident to your injuries and documents the scene before evidence can be disturbed or removed. Do not skip this step even if the other party pressures you to handle things privately.
- Photograph and video the entire scene before leaving. Document the scooter, road surface, any potholes or debris, skid marks, signage, the position of all vehicles involved, and your visible injuries. Capture wide contextual shots and tight close-ups. Do not move any evidence before photographing it from multiple angles.
- Record the scooter’s identifying information. Note the vehicle ID number printed on the deck or stem, take a screenshot of your active ride in the Bird app, and do not allow anyone to remove or reset the scooter. Onboard telemetry data — including speed, braking performance, GPS track, and battery state — is critical evidence in mechanical failure claims and can be overwritten within days.
- Collect witness contact information. Bystander accounts are often the most persuasive evidence in disputed liability cases. Collect full names and phone numbers from anyone who witnessed the accident before they leave the scene.
- Seek medical evaluation immediately, even if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks pain. Traumatic brain injuries, internal bleeding, and spinal injuries may not produce obvious symptoms for hours or days. A documented medical examination closes the factual gap between the accident and your injury record and prevents insurers from arguing your injuries arose from a later incident.
- Save every medical record, receipt, and expense document. Keep all emergency room bills, treatment summaries, prescriptions, follow-up appointment records, and insurance explanations of benefits. This documentation directly supports the economic damages component of your claim.
- Contact a California scooter accident attorney before speaking with any insurance company. Bird’s insurance carriers and the at-fault party’s adjusters will contact you quickly. Their goal is to minimize your claim — often by obtaining a recorded statement they can use against you later. Compass Law Group offers a free, no-obligation consultation, and we accept all qualifying scooter accident cases on a strict contingency fee basis.
Get Your Free Consultation Today
If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries in a Bird scooter accident anywhere in California, the attorneys at Compass Law Group, LLP are ready to investigate, preserve evidence, and fight for the full compensation you deserve. No Win, No Fee — you pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Free Confidential Consultation — Compass Law Group, LLP | Electric Scooter Accidents
References
- California Vehicle Code § 21235 — Electric Motorized Scooters: Operating Requirements
- California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 — Personal Injury Statute of Limitations (Two Years)
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — Micromobility Safety Reports and Injury Data
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Micromobility Fatality Statistics
- CDC Transportation Safety — Electric Scooter Injury Research
