Our law firm handles bike accident personal injury cases involving “dooring,” when someone in a car or other motor vehicle opens a door into the path of an oncoming bike. The door may open into a bike lane or into traffic. It happens suddenly with little or no warning and the consequences can be devastating. More than 17,000 cyclists are injured by car and truck doors every year, and many have been killed and sustained serious injuries, including head injuries and spinal cord injuries.
Compounding the problem, many bike lanes are placed within the “door zone”, that area extending three to four feet from the parking lane. Even if a bicyclist manages to miss the door itself, they may swerve into oncoming traffic, lose control of the bike, or be launched into the air to land on pavement, other cars, or under the wheels of a moving vehicle.
Get a free consultation about compensation for being doored.
The legal responsibility for dooring accidents is borne by those in the car or truck. Anyone in a motor vehicle must make sure there is no oncoming traffic, either on foot, bike, or motorized vehicle, before opening a door.
Many states and municipalities are now recognizing the dangers of being doored and are codifying the practice into criminal law. Police officers can ticket those who open car doors into bike lanes or traffic even if an accident does not occur. Charges for opening a door and causing an accident can range from unsafely exiting a vehicle to careless use of a motor vehicle.
Civil lawsuits are the primary tool for injured bicyclists and their families to seek justice. Even though dooring now carries a criminal penalty in some states, that penalty is very low; $100 for a ticket. To protect your legal rights, contact a personal injury lawyer at our law firm as soon as possible.
Injuries from a dooring accident can be insidious. Traumatic brain injuries can take days to appear, and the adrenaline rush that accompanies an accident can hide serious injuries. Our bicycle accident lawyers have offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota. David Szerlag, of counsel for our firm, has offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island.
