Motor scooters and mopeds aren’t quite powerful enough to be considered motorcycles and are too powerful to be classified as bicycles under Pennsylvania law. Regardless of how they’re categorized legally, though, people riding street-legal motor scooters on public roads have all the same rights as anyone else operating any other kind of motor vehicle around them—rights which, unfortunately, people driving massive commuter cars don’t always respect.
If you’ve been seriously hurt in a Vespa/motor scooter accident in Blue Bell, you may have grounds to take legal action against the person responsible. By filing a personal injury lawsuit, you could demand payment for every loss your wreck causes. For the best chance of getting a positive case outcome, speak with a seasoned motorcycle collision attorney with experience handling cases like yours successfully in the past.
What Are the Laws for Motor Scooter Operation?
Because mopeds don’t have powerful enough engines to keep pace with modern cars on major highways, they generally aren’t allowed on places like interstates and toll roads. Depending on how powerful your scooter’s engine is and what other equipment it has installed on it, such as headlights and fenders, you may also need to register it with the Commonwealth, buy insurance for it, and pass inspection by Pennsylvania authorities.
In general, though, you can take a motor scooter on private roads, down suburban and rural streets, and in other places where it does not interfere with the normal flow of vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian traffic. What’s more, you have a right to a reasonable and safe amount of space on the road whenever you’re lawfully riding a motor scooter around other traffic. Anyone who crowds you or causes a motor scooter accident in Blue Bell any other way may hold legal liability for the negative effects of that wreck.
Proving Someone Else at Fault for a Moped Crash
On that note, both “economic” and “non-economic” forms of harm can be factored into a motor scooter injury claim, meaning you can recover for objective financial losses and more subjective personal losses like:
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Medical bills
- Mental anguish and trauma
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Lost working ability or wages
- Personal property damage, including scooter repair/replacement costs
First, though, you’ll need to prove that the “defendant” you’re suing is liable to pay for your damages under civil law—and even though motor vehicle drivers are much less likely to get hurt in wrecks compared to scooter riders, courts won’t just assume one person over the other is to blame. Among other things, our Blue Bell lawyers can help show that your moped crash likely wouldn’t have happened at all if the defendant in your claim hadn’t done something specifically reckless or careless to cause it.
Get Help from a Blue Bell Attorney After a Vespa/Motor Scooter Accident
Building a successful personal injury claim under the theory of “negligence” described above is never a simple or straightforward process. However, it can be especially hard when the wreck that left you injured involves you riding a motor scooter and the person who hit you driving a much bigger car or truck.
Working closely with respected legal counsel can make a world of difference in your chances of getting paid what you deserve after a Vespa/motor scooter accident in Blue Bell. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to discuss your options.
