Pueblo Scooter Accident Lawyer

You were riding a scooter — maybe one of the rental e-scooters downtown, maybe your own — when someone hit you. Or you hit a pothole and went down hard. Or a door opened into your path and you had nowhere to go.

Now you’re hurt. Maybe seriously. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re wondering if anyone will take this seriously because you weren’t in a car.

They will. Because scooter riders have the same legal rights as every other vehicle on the road. Your injuries are just as real. And McCormick & Murphy has handled cases like yours throughout Pueblo, Pueblo West, and the surrounding areas.

Why Scooter Accidents Get Dismissed — And Why That’s Wrong

There’s a perception problem with scooter accidents. Insurance adjusters treat them differently. Police reports sometimes lack detail. Drivers assume the person on the scooter was at fault just because scooters feel less serious than motorcycles or cars.

But the physics tell a different story. When you’re on a scooter, you have no airbag. No seatbelt. No crumple zone. A collision at 20 miles per hour can cause the same traumatic brain injury, the same broken bones, the same road rash that requires skin grafts.

The vehicle you were riding doesn’t determine the severity of your injuries. It doesn’t determine your right to compensation. And it doesn’t determine whether you deserve an attorney who will fight for you.

Common Causes of Scooter Accidents in Pueblo

Scooter accidents happen for many of the same reasons car accidents happen — and some reasons unique to scooters.

Driver Negligence

A car turns right without checking the bike lane. A truck merges without seeing you. A driver opens their door into traffic. These are the most common scooter accidents we see, and they’re almost always preventable.

Drivers have a legal duty to check for all vehicles before turning, merging, or opening doors. That includes scooters. When they fail to do that, they’re liable for the harm they cause.

Road Hazards

Potholes that barely register to a car can send a scooter rider flying. Uneven pavement. Gravel in a turn. A storm grate with bars running the wrong direction. These infrastructure failures cause serious accidents, and the city or county responsible for maintaining that road may be liable.

We’ve handled cases in Pueblo where poor road maintenance directly caused the crash. These cases require fast action because government entities have shorter notice requirements than private parties.

Defective Scooters

Rental scooters go through heavy use with inconsistent maintenance. Brakes fail. Throttles stick. Wheels lock up. If a mechanical defect caused your crash, the scooter company may be liable — whether that’s Bird, Lime, or any other app-based service operating in the area.

These companies have teams of lawyers. You need one too.

Dangerous Intersections and Lack of Infrastructure

Pueblo has roads designed decades before scooters became common. Missing bike lanes. Unclear right-of-way. Intersections where scooters are forced to share space with turning vehicles. Poor design leads to accidents, and the responsible parties can be held accountable.

Injuries We See in Scooter Accidents

Because scooter riders have no protection, injuries tend to be severe even in low-speed collisions.

Head injuries. Traumatic brain injuries are common, even when the rider was wearing a helmet. Concussions. Skull fractures. Bleeding in the brain. These injuries change lives, and they require significant compensation to cover long-term care.

Road rash and soft tissue damage. Sliding across pavement at any speed tears skin down to muscle and bone. What looks like scrapes in the emergency room often requires surgical debridement, skin grafts, and leaves permanent scarring.

Broken bones. Wrists, collarbones, arms, and legs. These fractures often require surgery, pins, plates, and months of physical therapy. If you can’t work during recovery, you’re entitled to compensation for lost wages.

Spinal injuries. Landing on your back or neck can cause herniated discs, fractures, or spinal cord damage. Some of our clients face partial paralysis or permanent mobility limitations.

The injury you can see is often not the only injury. Internal bleeding. Organ damage. Psychological trauma. A thorough medical evaluation is critical, and your legal claim should account for every injury — visible or not.

Liability in Pueblo Scooter Accidents

Who pays for your injuries depends on who caused the accident. Sometimes that’s obvious. Often it’s not.

The Other Driver

If a car, truck, or motorcycle hit you, the driver’s insurance typically covers your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. Colorado is an at-fault state, which means the person who caused the crash is responsible for the harm.

The Scooter Company

If you were riding a rental scooter and a mechanical failure caused the crash, the company that owns and maintains that scooter may be liable. These cases require proving the defect existed and that the company knew or should have known about it.

Scooter companies bury liability waivers in their app agreements. Those waivers are not always enforceable, especially when gross negligence is involved.

The City or County

If a road hazard caused your crash, the government entity responsible for maintaining that road may be liable. These claims are complex. Colorado law requires notice to government entities within 182 days of the injury — much shorter than the standard personal injury deadline.

We’ve successfully pursued claims against municipalities throughout the Pueblo area, from Cañon City to Walsenburg. But timing is everything.

Multiple Parties

Some accidents involve shared fault. A driver turned without looking, but the road also had a hidden pothole, and the scooter’s brakes were worn. Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule: you can recover damages as long as you were less than 50% at fault, but your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault.

Figuring out who owes what requires investigation, expert analysis, and aggressive negotiation. That’s what we do.

What About Helmets?

Colorado does not require adults to wear helmets while riding scooters. If you weren’t wearing one, that does not automatically bar your claim.

An insurance company may argue that your head injury would have been less severe with a helmet. That argument affects damages, not liability. If the other driver caused the crash, they’re still responsible — though your compensation may be reduced if the lack of a helmet made your injuries worse.

The helmet question is one reason you need an attorney who knows how to handle these defenses. We’ve seen adjusters inflate the role of helmets to avoid paying fair settlements. We don’t let that happen.

Insurance Complications Unique to Scooter Accidents

Car accidents usually involve two auto insurance policies. Scooter accidents are messier.

If you were hit by a car, the driver’s auto policy should cover you. But if the driver claims they didn’t see you, or argues you darted out, the insurer may deny the claim or offer an unreasonably low settlement.

If you were on a rental scooter, the scooter company’s insurance may apply — but those companies often dispute liability and point to user agreements that attempt to shift responsibility.

If a road defect caused the crash, you’re dealing with government immunity laws and claims processes that are completely different from standard personal injury cases.

And if you were riding your own scooter, your health insurance may cover initial treatment, but they’ll want to be reimbursed if you recover money from the at-fault party. Managing those liens is part of protecting your settlement.

Every scooter accident involves at least one difficult insurance conversation. Most involve several. You don’t have to navigate that alone.

What a Scooter Accident Claim Is Worth

There is no average settlement. The value of your case depends on the severity of your injuries, the clarity of fault, the insurance available, and how the accident affects your life going forward.

We pursue compensation for:

• Medical expenses — emergency room, surgery, hospital stays, physical therapy, medications, and any future treatment your injuries require
• Lost income — wages you’ve already missed and income you’ll lose if your injuries keep you out of work long-term
• Pain and suffering — the physical pain, emotional trauma, and reduced quality of life caused by the accident
• Scarring and disfigurement — compensation for permanent scars, especially those on visible areas like your face, arms, or legs
• Loss of enjoyment of life — when injuries prevent you from activities you used to love
• Property damage — replacement or repair of your scooter and any other personal property damaged in the crash

We don’t settle for the first offer. Insurance companies expect scooter riders to accept less because they assume you don’t know your rights. We make sure they pay what your case is actually worth.

Why You Need a Lawyer Who Knows Scooter Accidents

Not all personal injury attorneys understand the unique challenges of scooter cases. The bias against scooter riders is real. The insurance tactics are different. The evidence you need is specific.

We know how to counter the argument that you were inherently reckless just because you were on a scooter. We know how to prove a driver failed to yield. We know how to document road defects before they’re repaired. And we know how to hold scooter companies accountable when they try to hide behind user agreements.

Kirk McCormick and Jay Murphy have spent years fighting for injured people throughout Pueblo and the surrounding communities — including Pueblo West, Avondale, Boone, Colorado City, Rye, Cañon City, Florence, Penrose, and Walsenburg. We know the local courts. We know the insurers. And we know how to win.

What to Do After a Scooter Accident in Pueblo

The steps you take immediately after a crash can protect both your health and your legal rights.

Get medical attention. Even if you feel okay, get checked. Adrenaline masks pain. Brain injuries don’t always show symptoms right away. A medical record created the same day as the accident is critical evidence.

Call the police. A police report establishes the basic facts of the crash and creates an official record. Make sure the officer knows you were injured and that you want the other party’s information documented.

Take photos. If you’re able, photograph the scene. Your scooter. The vehicle that hit you. Road conditions. Skid marks. Anything visible. These details disappear quickly.

Get witness information. If anyone saw what happened, get their names and phone numbers. Witnesses become harder to find as time passes.

Don’t give a statement to the other driver’s insurance. They will call. They will sound friendly. They are looking for reasons to deny your claim. Politely decline and talk to a lawyer first.

Preserve the scooter. If a mechanical defect caused the crash, the scooter is evidence. Don’t let the rental company pick it up without documenting its condition.

Call McCormick & Murphy. The sooner we’re involved, the more we can do to protect your case. Evidence disappears. Witnesses forget. Insurance companies move fast. So do we.

Your Rights as a Scooter Rider in Colorado

You have the same right to use public roads as any other vehicle. Drivers have a legal duty to watch for you, yield when required, and operate their vehicles safely around you. When they fail to do that, they’re liable.

You have the right to compensation that covers all your injuries — not just the ones the insurance company wants to pay for.

You have the right to an attorney who will take your case seriously, who won’t dismiss your injuries because you weren’t in a car, and who will fight as hard for you as we would for anyone else.

Scooter accidents are not minor. Your injuries are not insignificant. And you are not alone.

Get Help from a Pueblo Scooter Accident Lawyer

You were injured. Someone else caused it. And you deserve compensation that covers every bill, every day of missed work, and every way this accident changed your life.

McCormick & Murphy represents scooter accident victims throughout Pueblo and the surrounding areas. We know the law. We know the insurance tactics. And we know how to fight for people who’ve been hurt through no fault of their own.

Your consultation is free. You pay nothing unless we win your case. And the sooner you call, the more we can do to protect your rights.

Call 888-668-1182 or visit our website to get started. You have options you may not know about. Let us show you what’s possible.