San Diego cracking down on Segways to curb injury payouts
The city plans to begin requiring local Segway tour companies to follow new safety procedures, acquire comprehensive liability insurance and indemnify the city against any potential lawsuits.
Segways are two-wheeled motorized vehicles that carry one person standing upright. The devices were invented in 2002.
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The owner of one local Segway tour company said the new requirements would put her out of business. But no other tour company owners spoke against the proposal during the
"I cannot just raise tour prices," said
Councilman
"I know it's a hardship," Sherman said. "Our job is protecting the taxpayer here, and I think this is what we need to do."
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In the case that led to the
The goal of the new law is to shrink the number of injury crashes and limit the city's vulnerability to large payouts when injuries occur, city officials said.
The new safety procedures would prohibit Segway use by intoxicated people, require users under 18 to be accompanied by an adult and mandate that tour guides have a driver's license.
In addition, the rules would limit the number of riders per Segway to one and require that they move in single file.
On insurance, the companies would be required to obtain commercial liability insurance of at least
The companies also would have to pay a
Segway is the name of the leading company in the industry. In order to make sure the city's new law would also apply to competitors, it refers to the vehicles as "electronic assistive personal mobility devices."
The
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Capobianco's 2016 lawsuit said she needs intense physical therapy and relies predominantly on a wheelchair to get around, preventing her from performing the full-time job she had before the Segway crash.
Also last year, the family of
The suit, filed by Hassett's four siblings, says the stub was created by the removal of a light pole on
The suit says Hassett suffered broken ribs, a toe injury that required amputation and damage to an internal heart defibrillator that led to a fatal infection.
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