The Chicago Dispatcher, a free newspaper "serving Chicago's taxi drivers, public chauffers, and the riding public" has posted an YouTube video of a bicyclist getting doored by the driver of an SUV. The dooring occurred on Wilson, just east of Broadway. There is a bike lane on this stretch of Broadway. If you watch the video you can see the dooring. You also see the driver of the cab, Bogdan Vintilescu, acting quickly and driving around the bicyclist.
Amazingly, Vintilescu was ticketed as a result of this situation. I have been involved in the investigation of hundreds of civil claims in my career and without a doubt there is only one person responsible here: the driver of the SUV. The cab driver was a safe distance from the bicyclist, who was riding appropriately in a clearly defined bike lane. There is an old saying that "a picture tells a thousand words." In this case the video must tell a million words. Hopefully upon reviewing this video the city prosecutor drops any charges against Vintilescu.
This could have been a very tragic situation because of the negligence of the driver of the SUV. Fortunately this situation was not worse because of the quick actions of Vintilescu. If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com . All initial consultations are confidential and free.
Keating Law Offices are the premiere personal injury lawyers representing bicyclists injured in an accident in Illinois. The firm offers free consultations and there are no fees unless we win for you. Our attorneys have a long history of success representing clients injured in bike accidents in Chicago, the suburbs and throughout Illinois. The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers are committed to advocating for the rights of bicyclists and fighting for bicyclists injured in bike accidents.
