Electric scooter kid went flying after hitting my car door

[LoveMyPiano]

I was just about to get out of my car - door opening onto the pavement - this afternoon, not dark by any stretch of the imagination, although the car door does have a light that stays on even when ignition off.
I had seen a girl (I think I know her, she's 8 or 9) go zooming past "up" the road - wearing black, on her no-doubt Christmas present, large electric scooter.
I pushed the door open, not fully, an was about to get out when I heard a skidding sound and she hit the car door and went flying onto the ground.
When I look afterwards, the tyre marks were about 2/3 of the way across the pavement, closer to my car. Had the door been fully opened, it would have been badly damaged, I think - or she might have been.
She rolled on the ground but didn't hit her head (no helmet) and seemed to want to check her scooter thoroughly herself.

I didn't say sorry - more like "Oh God!" - and checked she was OK, briefly saying that she was very difficult to see, but that's all, even though I think a whole lot more.
This will no doubt come back to me as "she was knocked off her scooter by that woman up the road" etc - but AIBU to think it was her own fault, even allowing for the fact she is a young child?

I think you have been given a hard time OP.

If the child is not old enough/responsible enough/skilled enough to ride the scooter safely then she should have an adult supervising her.

Sounds as if the parents have bought her a gift which is firstly illegal to use on the road or pavement, and secondly have let her use it without any tuition on how to do it safely. They have then let her ride without any form of safety equipment - no helmet, lights etc to protect her. They are the ones most responsible for any injury to their child.

DD had a V scooter at 9. When she first used it, she had a helmet and one of us was supervising - we would go for a walk and she would scoot on ahead to a point and wait for us - we could see her most if not all of the time. However, she knew that if people were walking in the other direction, she needed to stop or slow down and would do that.

She only rode without us once we felt comfortable that she was responsible enough to do so.

We wouldn't have bought her an electric scooter anyway, but in the situation you described i would have blamed her for not being careful enough with how she was riding.

The girl should have only been going at a speed that she could control the scooter. If a younger child/animal had stepped on to the pavement, the girl would not have been able to stop, and things could have been worse. Who would the parent's blame then - the toddler, the animal? Probably not their child or themselves.

The way she got up and checked the scooter before leaving, makes it sound as if she has fallen off before, and falling again didn't faze her.

Not sure what you were supposed to do when you saw her go in one direction, You have already explained that you looked and could not see her coming back due to it being dark and her wearing black, What to people think you should have done differently - climbed over the handbrake and got out of the passenger seat, just in case she scooted back? Sat in the car all evening until there had been no sight of her for 10 minutes (she could have then still returned). Even if you had got out of the passenger seat, you would have needed to step on to the pavement from between cars, so would have still be difficult to see her approaching at speed in the dark.

People are focussing on you not seeing the girl, but are forgetting that if you should have been able to see her, then she should have been able to see you - especially seeing as cars light up when the door is opened.

Hope the girl was ok and there is no come back, but more importantly hope that you are ok. It is frightening when you start thinking what could have happended,

Idiotic parents buying their child an illegal electric scooter, why not just give her a knife?

Thank you...it's OK, and a while ago -- I don't think it plays any part in the perceived disdain I may appear to feel. That comes entirely from what I have experienced in this area in the last few years (and is added to by some of the MN comments/remarks). But thank you for being perceptive.

@Talkingfrog Your comment is fabulous - and thank you for your support.

And quite rightly, I just do not think she was old enough or big enough to be doing what she was.... in a way, I am "glad" that it was me, it could so easily have been someone/thing else and been a lot worse - you are very right.

When I got out of my car tonight, I also opened the rear door, and noticed that it does not have a light at it's outer edge and would be the first thing that anyone would bump into coming down the pavement. I have noted that for future extra care.

Before I went out today, I saw a group of four and a group of three scooters come down the road in close succession. All boys - one trying to wheelie. I also notice that many people in cars don't indicate to pull out into this road as, with the double parking, they are just effectively going down the centre of the road - anything coming the other way when they emerge will "have to wait". Or not, as is often the case...; manners and consideration are definitely needed on this road! But I am imagining how easy it would be for there to be a more serious collision.

If anyone cares to know - I looked at the camera footage. It didn't catch the collision - but afterwards, as I was setting off and for the first oart of my journey, my self-talk was hilarious!

Also - for interest, I am not telling my Insurer, or reporting the Police (and the moment I speak to them, it would become an "incident" )- I was waiting for the AA to give me legal advice as to what I might be required to do. Which would be daft, as I am also insured with them - so I will use either my RAC Legal Cover, or Home Insurance.
And if the Police do become involved, and it results in "trouble" for the family, that would be worse for me than a fall in which she seemed unharmed..

Update - she is alive, and fine (by all appearances). They are still out on the pavement - and road - but seem to not be coming as far as where I might be [that I have seen], seemingly oblivious to cars, or expecting the cars to slow down or make way for the scooters. If they (she and brother, both using it - he is even younger, and just as "bouncy") were mine, I would not rest for a moment (well wouldn't have bought in the first place).
Based on this, and the brief conversation I had with the older sister (very strong resemblance, and not much older I would say, so easy enough for me to mix them up), I do not think she said anything at home.
I also predict (based on something that happened this evening), that there may be some future attempts to annoy me.

[I do realise that this is probably not being read now...😊]

I read it.