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The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices have been retained to represent a suburban woman who was doored last September while riding a Divvy bike. The dooring occurred near Union Station as the Divvy bicyclist was riding southbound in the designated bike lane on Clinton Street. As the bicyclist approached 310 South Clinton Street the driver of a vehicle parked along the curb suddenly opened the driver’s door of his vehicle into the bike lane without looking for oncoming bicycle traffic. The vehicle door struck the bicyclist as well as the Divvy bike.
The brunt of the impact was sustained by the Divvy bicyclist’s right hand which was crushed between the vehicle door and the handle bar of the Divvy bike. As a result of the impact the Divvy bicyclist was thrown from the Divvy bike to the pavement. The Divvy bike, which is significantly heavier than an average bicycle for durability purposes, then fell on top of the bicyclist.
The bicyclist immediately sought medical treatment for injuries to her right hand and left shoulder. Upon discharge from the emergency room the Divvy bicyclist’s right hand was placed in a splint. The bicyclist experienced a decreased range of motion in her right hand and fingers for several weeks following the dooring.
Opening a vehicle door in the path of a bicyclist is strictly prohibited by the Illinois Vehicle Code as well as the Municipal Code of Chicago. In this case, the responding Chicago Police Officer issued the dooring culprit a traffic citation for violating Section 11-1407 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Section 11-1407, the ‘dooring statute,’ states in part:
“No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless and until it is reasonably safe to do so, and can be done without interfering with the movement of other traffic.” (625 ILCS 5/11-1407).The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers are pursuing a claim with the dooring culprit’s insurance carrier to compensate the injured Divvy bicyclist for her injuries, medical bills, loss of a normal life and pain and suffering.
Keating Law Offices is the premiere personal injury firm in Illinois that concentrates its practice on bicycle related litigation. The firm is a national leader in the emerging field of bicycle law. The attorneys at Keating Law Offices have successfully resolved numerous dooring cases throughout Illinois.
If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving a bicycle accident, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at (312) 208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All e-mails and phone calls are returned promptly. All initial consultations are completely confidential and free.
