BALTIMORE — The crash unfolds in a split second---a white work van clips a man on a scooter on South Linwood Avenue in Canton, and he collapses on the street.
"It was dark. Maybe he wasn't seen,” said Greg Rogers who lives nearby. “I'm sure the guy didn't do it on purpose."
Not so, Russell Donaldson III tells WMAR-2 News.
The victim says he exchanged expletives with the driver after he revved his engine behind the scooter, and the apparent road rage carried over to an outright assault.
As more and more scooters take to the streets of Baltimore, City Shared Mobility Coordinator Meg Young says everyone must follow the laws of the road.
"Everything from how we mark pavement to our signs are designed to give everybody a space on the road,” said Young. “It helps others to predict how you're going to move on the road and to be able to anticipate if you're going to turn. The second thing is that we just need to all be more considerate of one another."
It's a point not lost upon people who live along South Linwood, which has become a popular cut through to avoid downtown traffic.
"There have been some incidents and near misses,” said Rogers. “I can tell you that, and I know we're very mindful about letting our kids walk anywhere, particularly in the morning this becomes quite a busy thoroughfare."
When the speed limit along a street is 30 miles an hour or more, scooters have the option of using the sidewalk, but much as they must yield to people on foot, vehicles on the road must afford scooters the same courtesy.
"When you're driving a vehicle, which weighs multiple tons, you should be expecting the unexpected and be alert whenever you're on the road," added Young.
