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Comment by eagleinparadise | Hacker News Reader

My partner was hospitalized for nearly a week and had to have facial reconstructive surgery and nearly lost all her teeth after she got hit by someone on a scooter going 25mph while we were walking

Be careful out there if you combine speed + unprotected mode of transportation

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Created a new account to warn everyone to be more aware around street corners. I once tried to catch a train so I rode a scooter on the sidewalk which I normally don't. Seeing no cars, I didn't slow too much at a street corner, and ran into someone. Luckily the top speed on the scooter was 15mph and I slowed to probably 13mph, but still, the force was too much and the person failed pretty hard. I swear to never do that again. Please pay extra care around street corners, and tell your kids to do so.

Most of didn't have to run into someone to learn this thing, but I'm glad you know now.

Thanks for sharing. As a longtime bicyclist, I've been shocked by the increase, over the past decade, of reckless behaviors on the streets due to electric mobility riders. I'm glad to see some are learning, though sad to see it's only at the cost of someone getting hurt ...

While we're on the topic, street corners or not, the warning should extend to all sidewalk riding. Driveways and pedestrian gates don't usually have enough clearance around them that you would be able to see what's coming. (At least in the US where sidewalks aren't typically set up with a dedicated bike lane)

Of course the type of person to ride a scooter on the sidewalk and hit someone will spin it as a lesson to others. It’s too bad you weren’t sued so you could learn to accept so e responsibility.

If anon334455 didn't want to leave a comment, anon334455 didn't have to.

What's the point of anon334455 commenting except to warn others to be careful?

Catharsis, ego, etc.

Maybe. But even so, I do think the comment might cause some readers to behave more safely. Someone saying "I did this thing and it had a bad outcome, don't be like me" has more impact that someone saying "Don't do this thing."

> the person failed pretty hard

How did they “fail” when you plowed right into them?

I'm pretty sure anon334455 meant "fell" not "failed".

Fell is just a particular "failure state". ;)

This highlights another big issue. You were riding your vehicle on the footpath. Vehicles of all types should be on roads, not a footpath which is for people on foot. But in many countries for decades the road has been an incredibly hostile place for any mode of transport other than a car. As usual the person with the smaller mode of transport suffers the biggest injustice, in your case the pedestrian.

I'm so sorry to hear that. I wish her well in her recovery.

I for one think the future where we all walk around in cyberpunk body armour to protect ourselves from wayward idiots on powered transportation they are unable to control would be kind of sick

I'd be fine with everyone wearing bodycams and any victim being able to prove in court that they deserve damages.

That was sort of the premise of the book "The Circle" by Dave Eggers (not going to mention the film adaptation because it was so bad I pretend it doesn’t exist). It didn’t turn out too well in the end.

I mean.. it's impractical, but I prefer the parents' tactic of defense rather than guaranteed legal indemity.

Yes, I won the court case .. but my <insert grievous bodily wound> won't grow back.

like the old joke about a tombstone with the epitaph "He had the right of way."

>and any victim being able to prove in court that they deserve damages.

That still leaves the problem of judgement-proof defenders.

I'm not sure that would actually work out. First, some accidents are just accidents on both sides.

Second: We've seen the effect of bodycams on cops. They aren't exactly helping folks prosecute bad cops if they are even on and working and unobstructed. If we can't do it with cops, we probably aren't going to do real well with the general public.

There are other ways to help folks - Things like robust universal (taxpayer funded) health care and paid time off work for sickness and injury that doesn't take weeks to get. This takes the burden off an accident victims and doesn't punish folks on the wrong side of an actual accident nor make lifelong debt for someone using non-car, non-bus transportation.

Around here, I've seen idiots on one wheelers doing 25+ on trails that explicitly ban powered vehicles. The riders were in full cross country motorcycle gear, and doing dumb tricks amidst pedestrians, strollers and bikes.

Someone in that crowd will literally kill someone at some point. They'd better hope I'm not on the jury at their reckless homicide trial.

It’s very rare, but even push bikes can kill pedestrians in the wrong circumstances.

You meant 'slick'? I agree. This is how it was with motorcycling in cities for the last 30 years.

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