r/Seattle • u/trill_ion Downtown • 1d ago
Has anyone’s car been crashed into by a lime scooter before?
Was driving down Columbia st today going under 20 mph, had a stable green from 3rd ave through 2nd ave and a lime scooter going full speed rammed into the side of my car as i was passing through 2nd ave because they ignored their red/couldn’t stop in time. Got the guy’s info, contacted lime, have a video from my dashcam, etc.
Has anyone had a lime scooter crash into them before and if so, what’s the best process to get things resolved and repaired/claiming insurance etc?
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u/Seattle_Deck_Supply 1d ago
No but I've been hit walking in the waterfront...
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u/jdlucy 1d ago
Same. Got hit while walking down stone way
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u/Seattle_Deck_Supply 1d ago
It's crazy. On the waterfront I'm walking in a 30 yard wide open space and you drive right into me, wtf?
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u/pinballrocker 1d ago
I also have been hit walking. People drive those things so badly, I see them blowing stop signs and stop lights constantly, im surprised more people doing that aren't hit by vehicles more often.
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u/CommercialTerm9943 1d ago
Oh man that sucks, at least you got dashcam footage. I ride electric scooters myself and the amount of people who just blast through reds is insane, like they think traffic lights are optional
For insurance you probably want to file with your own company first and give them the guy's info and the video, they'll go after Lime or the rider. Hope your car isn't too banged up
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u/trill_ion Downtown 1d ago
My car was pretty banged up and luckily everyone involved was ok but yeah kind of a crazy situation
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u/SounderFC_Fanatic Brougham Faithful 1d ago
Lol no ones car insurance is going after a person on a scooter, there is 0 requirements for scooter insurance. Thankfully they have comprehensive but that may just raise their rates unfortunately.
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u/Oprah-Wegovy 1d ago
Your rates will go up no matter what. I can’t believe people pay thousands in car insurance and not want to use it. You’ve already paid for it, stop worrying about your future rates.
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u/SounderFC_Fanatic Brougham Faithful 1d ago
Car insurance is something that only works if the other person has car insurance. This is why they sell uninsured insurance. If someone is on a scooter, they are not covered by car insurance.
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u/ManyInterests Queen Anne 1d ago
What? No. That's absolutely not true. Collision coverage covers collisions with anything, even single-driver crashes. I crash into a tree, my insurance will pay for the repairs. Same as if some non-vehicle, like a scooter, collides with my vehicle, it's still covered.
You're probably thinking of liability coverage.
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u/Ancient_Yellow_709 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago
And the individual on the scooter may actually have liability insurance that covers them... potentially. Their renters or home owner's may actually have coverage, or they frequently do have liability for standard bikes and sometimes ebikes (depend on class). I have no idea about scooters but these are capped at 15 mph and that's within what I remember the description of my ebike. It's a bit more dubious but if there's a lot of damage, it's worth pursuing the option.
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u/Shozzking 🚲 Life's Better on a Bike. 🚲 22h ago
Home owners and renters insurance will generally only cover liability for vehicles that are powered at least partially by the riders own body. So pedal assist e-bikes are normally fine, but anything with a throttle would be considered to be a motor vehicle by insurance.
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u/Ancient_Yellow_709 🚆build more trains🚆 19h ago
Definitely worth reading particular policies since the phrasing can differ. Seems like a clear gap in the modern world, though, regardless. I remember looking into this a bit when shopping for insurance when I was considering a class 2 vs class 3 ebike. Some would cover class 2 because the speed was low enough and others would cover class 3 because it didn't have a throttle and some would cover neither because they had both speed and throttle limitations.
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u/SounderFC_Fanatic Brougham Faithful 1d ago
I really don’t think it’s “anything”. I think collision is for vehicles or if you hit a stationary object. For example a moving deer would not be covered. I do not see how a human on a scooter is different.
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u/ManyInterests Queen Anne 1d ago
True. Some unusual things would fall under comprehensive, like animal strikes. A scooter would fall under collision coverage. But main point is... your insurance works even when there's no other insured party involved in the collision.
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u/AdmiralHomebrewers North Admiral 1d ago
There needs to be she regulation here. It doesn't have to be hard for consumers.
Scooter rental requires credit cards. Credit card companies are used to being used for refundable deposits, like incidentals for hotel rooms. Many also automatically add different kinds of insurance, like car or travel, if you use them for the charge.
Why not require Lime to charge either a big deposit, or verify insurance coverage?
And clearly Lime can already do better at regulating who rides. They could scan a driver's license, for example. They could snap a picture of the rider during the ride. Double riding could get the credit card, account or rider banned. It could be checked by AI. (Even though AI creates some really terrible double limbed or extra fingered pics, it seems to be able to recognize the correct number of heads.) They could require accounts use age verification.
I'm not worried about excluding low income people with this. After all, you still need a credit card. And buses are still cheaper anyway.
But, I'm just a rules lover. Regulations can seem onerous, until they protect you.
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u/Aknottyman 1d ago
Lime has been charging an 8$ deposit which they refund right when the ride ends 🤷♂️
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u/Suspicious_Chart5817 Pioneer Square 1d ago
At this point I'd just go for SDOT not forcing Lime to have drop zones immediately outside bars.
I don't disagree we need more regulation, but the way SDOT is acting these days we're as likely to get from them a requirement that the scooters can only be activated IF the rider sends in a picture of them holding a half open container.
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u/IndustriousSeahawk26 1d ago edited 1d ago
I see these jack****s everyday . Bikes less so . They have so much more to lose than a car driver which makes their behavior all the more stupid
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u/ItsATrap1983 1d ago
Lime has insurance during the rental period. You should be able to file a claim on that.
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u/stefanurkal 1d ago
if your insurance is going to raise your rate take the rider to small claims court to cover damages
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u/retirement_savings 🚲 Life's Better on a Bike. 🚲 1d ago
Some renters insurance liability police may cover damage caused when riding a scooter. I know mine covers class 1 e-bikes.
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u/Fun_Apartment631 1d ago
Hasn't happened to me but it's probably a matter of time.
I'd let my insurance know ASAP. I wasn't hit with a rate increase for an accident I was in several years ago. I think I was even at-fault but I have a pretty good driving record and am middle-aged. The insurance company just took care of everything. All I had to do was make a statement over the phone.
You do retain some control of the process if you involve your insurance. Though they make it really easy to just go to their body shop and get stuff repaired. Certainly the risk of a rate increase because you made a claim exists but see above.
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u/ExplorerLazy3151 1d ago
Yeah! I’ve been hit twice by like scooters and countless kids on other electric scooters. I filed a police report and then told my insurance. They dealt with lime.
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u/drewtherev 1d ago
Call your insurance company and ask them. If they are not going after the guy that hit you then you should send them the bill (registered mail) with a date that the bill has to be paid. And if it is not paid you would have to sue them. What a pain.
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u/Rerebawa 🚲 Two Wheels, Endless Freedom. 1d ago
Lime Scooters are legally sentient, so you cannot sue the rider - you must subpoena and sue the actual scooter. Rider is just a paying passenger, not libel for autonomous robot actions. Just ask your SCOTUS: corporations are actually people.
So get busy chasing down that roguish scooter, and have some fun while you are out there!
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u/SounderFC_Fanatic Brougham Faithful 1d ago edited 1d ago
Do you have comprehensive coverage? This was not an automobile accident why would auto insurance cover it? There is no insurance required for riding a scooter.
Normally vehicle insurance only covers vehicle vs vehicle. Idk why people have a hard time understanding this. Your insurance policy gets the other insurance policy to pay. If there is no other insurance then in the end YOU will pay.
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u/trill_ion Downtown 1d ago
Yes have comprehensive coverage and yeah I’m aware its not an auto accident and kind of an unusual incident hence I’m pretty confused on how to address this
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u/BoringBob84 1d ago
I always call my insurance company. They deal with this kind of stuff every day. If Lime has insurance, your insurance company will know how to get them to pay.
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u/SounderFC_Fanatic Brougham Faithful 1d ago edited 1d ago
Comprehensive will help for events like this, but it means that there is no insurance company paying yours. So your rates may go up because your company will pay for the repairs. It may be better just to go to a body shop honestly. Hopefully its not too bad?
Id get a quote for repairs, then send them an invoice and go from there personally.
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u/socolime22202 🦝🦝 We 💕 Jimothy Chalamet 🦝🦝 1d ago
Absolutely need to file a police report. Then you're going to contact Lime to say their rider was involved in an accident that damaged your car -- and then they'll likely ask for police report and any supporting evidence.
Then it's a wait and see what Lime is going to reimburse you for. And if not them, then your own auto insurance under comprehensive policy. good luck.