Monaco’s criminal court has ruled that a careless pedestrian caused an accident in which a scooter rider was badly hurt.

A legal first in the Principality, the case was centred on a collision at a pedestrian crossing close to Place des Moulins, local French-language daily Monaco Matin reported.

The person on foot, a man in his 60s, stepped out onto the crossing without taking due care and was also wearing AirPods at the time, the court was told.

The female victim collided with the pedestrian – who had been partly hidden by a traffic sign – and fell off her scooter and into the road, injuring her face and knees.

The hapless scooter rider has suffered poor health since the accident a year ago and is considering a change of career from being a home helper.

The court decided to delay a decision on damages payable to the victim to a later date.