Lime should pay hospital bills for their lock glitch, lawyer says

A Brisbane lawyer wants electric scooter hire company Lime, not Queensland taxpayers, to pay the hospital costs of riders injured as a result of scooter faults.

Lime was placed on two weeks' notice after a spate of serious injuries to riders, with Brisbane City Council threatening to revoke the company's permit to operate in the city.

Lime's public affairs manager Nelson Savanh said users needed to respect the ride.Credit: Joseph Byford

Lime said the dangerous glitch, which caused the front wheel to randomly lock and sent some riders hurtling over their handle bars, had been fixed and their trial permit extended.  

Compensation law specialist Mark O’Connor said while the number of Brisbane injuries caused by the software glitch was unknown, Queensland’s taxpayers should not have to carry the hospital treatment costs of riders.

“[The hospital costs are] probably well into six figures by now but why should the public have to carry the financial burden of providing medical treatment to people using these rental scooters?” Mr O'Connor said.

He claimed Brisbane’s emergency departments had noticed a spike in injuries after the scooters arrived in Brisbane.

"Everyone has an anecdote of almost being run over by a scooter on city streets and many feel they are a nightmare in the crowded CBD area," he said.

He thinks Lime should pay a levy to reimburse the public hospital system for the injuries caused by their software malfunction.

“This is particularly because of the Lime software glitch, which caused multiple injuries and admissions to the public hospitals," he said.

After an initial grace period, Queensland police have started to crack down on drunk and dangerous riders around the city.

Police had been letting rogue riders off with an "educational" warning about how to use the scooters safely and legally.

On Thursday night police released a series of clips from their body-worn cameras, arresting alleged drunks, speeders and riders without helmets.

Matthew Hope, who chairs the Queensland trauma committee for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, said helmets saved lives.

“I am aware of a significant amount of injuries coming through a number of our hospitals due to scooters," he said.

Dr Hope said not wearing a helmet increased the chance death and injury effects such as a change in personality and memory and complete loss of consciousness.

Lime public affairs manager Nelson Savanh last week reminded users to "respect the ride" by riding with courtesy, slowing down, sharing the path, and making space for people who walk and cycle.