What Do I Do If I’ve Been “Doored” By a Car?

Posted in Car accidents on August 1, 2022

Getting doored buy a car is something that every bicyclist fears. The reality is that riding a bicycle around other vehicles, particularly in urban areas, increases the chance that a dooring incident will occur. If you are a bicyclist and have been doored by a vehicle, it is imperative that you take certain steps to help ensure that you recover compensation for your losses.

What is Dooring?

The term “dooring” is perhaps one of the most literal explanations of an incident that we have – this means that a door has opened on a vehicle, and a bicyclist has run into the door.

If you have ever ridden a bicycle, then you have certainly thought about the various ways that accidents can occur and taking steps to avoid them. However, getting into an accident with a car door may not have necessarily crossed your mind. Unfortunately, these incidents can lead to significant injuries when they occur.

Some of the different ways that dooring accidents happen regularly throughout Tennessee include:

• A driver or passenger in a vehicle flings the door open on the actual roadway, which leads to the bicyclists slamming into the door. This can occur to bicyclists going the same direction as the vehicle or coming in the opposite direction. These types of incidents can happen by accident or as a result of the intentional actions of those inside the vehicle (a form of road rage).
• A driver or passenger in a vehicle could open the door in front of an oncoming bicyclist after the vehicle has already been parked. This is more common on roadways where individuals have to park on the side of the street.

Bicyclists are typically cognizant of potential roadway hazards, but there is often no way for them to predict that a car door will open in front of them. Sometimes, these incidents happen so fast that a bicyclist cannot avoid slamming into the door. However, even if a bicyclist does take evasive maneuvers to avoid the dooring incident, these evasive maneuvers could lead to them swerving into traffic and getting struck by a vehicle.

What You Can do After a Dooring Incident

Unfortunately, dooring accidents can lead to significant injuries, even if a bicyclist is wearing protective gear and a helmet. These injuries can include dislocated or broken bones, major lacerations, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, road rash, and more.

After a dooring accident occurs, it is crucial for them to seek medical care period if the injuries are severe, they need to make sure they take an ambulance to the hospital. However, even if the injuries do not seem severe, bicyclists who have been doored still need to be evaluated by a doctor. There are situations where signs and symptoms of internal injuries do not appear until hours or days after the crash.

Bicycle dooring accident victims should speak to a skilled attorney who has experience handling these claims and can help determine whether or not their client will be able to recover compensation for their losses. If the accident was caused by the careless, negligent, or intentional actions of another driver, the bicyclist may be able to recover compensation for the medical bills, property damage expenses, last income, and pain and suffering damages.