E-Scooters - who pays compensation when someone is injured?

3 years ago, Polaris sounded the alarm that legalising the use of electric scooters and bicycles on footpaths was a recipe for disaster for our most vulnerable road users. Like other groups passionate about the safety of road users, we were concerned about injured people being caught in an insurance blackspot because of the hasty rollout of e-scooters in our public spaces; no access to TAC compensation and limited access to other forms of compensation like suing the rider or a public liability claim.

Following heavy lobbying and a lack of consideration for walkers and e-scooter riders, local councils have continued trials of e-scooters across Melbourne.

Our client Julia Miller is one of the casualties: on 1 April 2022 she was struck from behind by an electronic scooter on a footpath and seriously injured while she was holidaying in Melbourne.