Electric bike hire operator Lime is facing 12 compensation claims from London cyclists who say they were injured in crashes caused by “faulty” e-bikes — the law firm pursuing the claims stating the incidents “were avoidable if the bikes had been in working order” and there had been “a steady influx of cases coming to us in the past few months”.
News of the legal claims was first published by The Standard, Osbornes Law firm currently seeking damages on behalf of 12 riders who suffered injuries in crashes they suggest were the result of “faulty” hire bikes, in some cases claiming their e-bike “fell apart” or the brakes “stopped working”.
Since this story’s publication, Osbornes Law has contacted us to confirm it has heard from more people who have come forward in the past 24 hours following the media attention.
Female cyclist in London casual clothing and Lime hire bike (credit: Simon MacMichael)
Sam Collard, the firm’s lead for cycling claims, explained how they had seen “a steady influx of cases” in the past few months, London-based cyclists “wanting to sue Lime for injuries caused by faulty bikes”.
“Some of these injuries are serious and in all cases were avoidable if the bikes had been in working order,” he added, explaining how the cases included injuries such as a broken leg, arm or ankle, as well as a dislocated shoulder and brain injuries.
Lawyer Collard argued people “have a right to be safe on a bike they hire and not be in danger of potentially life-changing or worse injuries” and urged Lime to settle the 12 cases promptly.
Lime and Human Forest bikes lined up in the hire bay (credit: Islington Council)
While Lime did not wish to comment on the “open legal matter”, a spokesperson did say it was saddened to hear of the incidents and insisted “safety informs everything we do”.
The news of the legal action comes shortly after Lime’s CEO Wayne Ting defended its safety record, stating in an interview: “Safety is incredibly important to us. It guides how we design and maintain our vehicles. We do a quality check of every bike before it goes out, and if there are complaints, those bikes are taken offline immediately.”
Limes parked.JPG (credit: Richard Peace)
Last month, a London-based doctor said they “see at least one patient a week” with injuries relating to heavier electric hire bikes causing so-called ‘Lime bike leg’ injuries.
Unlike experienced cyclists, who he explained are more likely to suffer “high energy” trauma such as head, chest, or multiple limb fractures after collisions with motor traffic, he claimed Lime-related incidents are usually “low energy” — such as people losing balance or having the bike fall on them while stationary.
“It’s almost always the lower limbs, from ankle fractures to tibia [shinbone] fractures, and soft tissue injuries around the knee — we don’t see many injuries from the knee upwards, but we’ve had the odd cracked pelvis,” he said. “However, it’s normally fractures either at the top of or in the middle of the tibia.”
The legal claims reported by The Standard appear to be slightly different to what the doctor was describing, Osbornes Law noting their clients suffered injuries in crashes caused by “faulty” bikes, rather than stationary incidents or low-speed injuries relating to bikes falling on users.
Commuter cyclist on Lime hire bike (credit: Simon MacMichael)
In March, a report by London Centric suggested that one in 10 Lime bikes may have dangerous mechanical issues, including in some cases malfunctioning brakes. While that report was fairly limited in that it only examined 50 e-bikes to come to the conclusion that 12 per cent should not be in use, the injury claims against Lime have once again brought the discussion around maintenance of hire bikes into the spotlight.
One person who has filed a claim is 31-year-old Elliot Poole, a systems analyst from south London who says the saddle of a Lime bike fell off and caused a crash in February which left him like “a zombie” for two hours after hitting his head.
“I have no recollection of what happened but apparently I fell off, hit my head and managed to get home on a bus despite me having no idea what was going on,” Mr Poole said. “My wife was really scared as I was asking ‘where am I and how did I get here?’
“I was acting like a zombie and she was understandably terrified that I would be permanently brain damaged. She called an ambulance, and I only really came around three hours after I came off the bike when I was in A&E. The loss of memory for that period of time is the most worrying thing for me as it could have been so much worse.”
Mr Poole says he used to be “an avid user of Lime bikes” before the crash which also saw him suffer a broken thumb and sprained wrist.
He continued: “I think they are a useful form of transport, but they aren’t maintained well enough and people like me end up getting hurt. I only realised the seat had fallen off because, when you return a Lime bike, you have to upload a picture to Lime. I asked for the picture from Lime and it showed the seat was by the side of the bike, which isn’t great.
Cyclists in London Brompton and Lime hire bike (credit: Simon MacMichael)
“The crash and particularly the loss of memory really shook me up and my injuries were frustrating and have affected my life. Then there was also the anxiety it caused. It took me a while to get back on a bike.”
Lime reported its usage was up 74 per cent during the Tube strikes earlier in September, research by YouGov suggesting that following the Underground disruption 28 per cent of Londoners are now more likely to cycle in the future.