Who’s liable if your vehicle is damaged by one of those scooters in Toledo?

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Lots of people have concerns about them being left all over the place, but who’s liable when one of them hits your vehicle and causes significant damage?

That’s what one Toledo family is trying to figure out right now.

They might be little but can leave a big mark. Damage that exceeds $1000 in some cases.

Todd Newland had no idea this was happening outside his home earlier this month.

“We heard the neighbor ask if everyone was ok and we were surprised we didn’t hear it because we were in the backyard,” said Newland.

It’s all caught on camera. It’s what appears to be some young people on one of those VEO scooters plowing right in the back of his daughter’s Jeep Cherokee. The rider goes flying, looks to be shaken up but eventually walks away. Left behind was this damage to the Jeep.

“$1100 for just the car, not including rental and maybe time off to get it taken care of,” said Newland.

A police report was filed. It’s a traffic crash report but who’s supposed to pay for the damage? The family’s already reached out to its insurance company.

“They’re not sure how to do it. They don’t know what it falls under. Is it a hit and run or is it a vehicle accident,” said Newland.

We reached out to the VEO scooter company to figure out who’s responsible. The pointed us to the user agreement which each rider agrees to, saying: “You agree that if your use of any of the services causes any injury or damage to another person or property, then you may be liable for all resulting injuries, damages, and related costs.”

Also you must be 18 to use a VEO scooter so if this is someone under that age operating it then some adult must have paid to get it going in the first place.

Someone who might now be on the hook for over a thousand dollars worth of damages.

“That’s a lot of money for just sitting in the street. I know it’s a narrow boulevard to begin with so we were worried about cars,” said Newland.

To use one of these scooters there has to be a credit card on file. So maybe the company can go in that direction to figure out who ultimately will have to pay for that damage.

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