Riders file suit against Bird saying equipment failures are causing them serious injuries. A lawsuit filed by the LA torts firm, McGee, Lerer & Associates alleges that poorly designed, manufactured, and maintained equipment directly resulted in serious injuries including trips to trauma centers, surgeries, treatment, and rehabilitation for riders who rented from the scooter rideshare company.
The suit names specific plaintiffs that were injured by Bird scooters when the brake or throttle malfunctioned causing them to crash.
The lawsuit from McGee, Lerer & Associates alleges more than two dozen Bird riders and chargers suffered severe injuries resulting from defective Bird brakes, wheels, throttles, and handlebars. The complaint also alleges that Xiaomi and Segway manufactured defective scooters.
“Bird has been cutting corners for years with its scooters, plain and simple,” attorney Mike Arias said in a press release. “Nationwide, people have suffered serious injuries, required emergency room care, expensive surgeries, and ongoing therapy because this ‘gig economy’ company has been ignoring its customers’ safety while it rakes in profits.”
The complaint also alleges that Bird’s maintenance system disincentivizes workers who charge them from bringing the faulty units to be repaired because they only get paid for charged scooters not repaired scooters.
Injured Riders
According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Lisa Beardslee suffered a broken wrist, severe road rash, and other her neck and shoulder when a Bird scooter’s brakes failed at an intersection in Los Angeles.
Another plaintiff, Fahin Kamrany was riding and had to jump off to keep from entering the busy intersection because the brakes failed. She fractured her collarbone, cut her scalp, and sprained her back and neck.
Other Lawsuits
This isn’t the only lawsuit Bird is dealing with. The same law firm filed a suit in 2019 with different plaintiffs alleging the company was negligently deploying the scooters on the sidewalks throughout the city and of failing to ensure that the scooters were safe to ride.
Then in February of 2020, a mechanic that worked for Bird alleges that he was wrongly fired because he spoke up to his bosses about safety issues.
Recently, in late March 2020, Bird laid off 400 of its roughly 1200 employees, and some of the workers have come forward and described a reckless and erratic leadership at Bird.