What Is a Dooring Accident?
A dooring accident happens when someone in a parked car opens their door into the path of a cyclist. The cyclist either crashes into the door or swerves to avoid it and gets hit by another vehicle. In a city like Chicago, where bikes and parked cars share tight streets, dooring accidents are one of the most common types of bicycle crashes.
Chicago has thousands of cyclists commuting daily. Many ride alongside rows of parked cars on streets like Milwaukee Avenue, Dearborn Street, and Halsted Street. Even a moment of carelessness from a driver or passenger can cause life-changing injuries to a cyclist passing by.
How Common Are Dooring Accidents in Chicago?
Chicago consistently ranks among the top cities in the country for dooring accidents. The Illinois Department of Transportation tracks these crashes, and hundreds are reported each year in Cook County alone. Many more go unreported because the cyclist rides away shaken but does not file a police report.
Dooring accidents tend to cluster in neighborhoods with high cycling traffic and dense street parking. Areas like Wicker Park, Logan Square, Lakeview, and the Loop see a disproportionate number of these crashes. Rush hour is the most dangerous time, when commuters are hurrying out of parked cars without checking for cyclists.
Illinois Law on Dooring
Illinois has a specific statute that addresses dooring. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1407, no person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so. Opening a door that interferes with the movement of other traffic is a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
This means the person who opens the door is presumed to be at fault. If a driver or passenger swings open a door without looking and hits a cyclist, they have broken the law. Chicago also has a municipal ordinance that mirrors this state law, and violators can be ticketed and fined.
The Duty of Care for Drivers and Passengers
Both drivers and passengers have a legal duty to check for approaching traffic before opening a car door. This duty exists whether the car is parked on a residential street or a busy downtown avenue. Failure to look before opening a door is negligence under Illinois law.
Some safety advocates promote the “Dutch Reach” method, where drivers use their far hand to open the door. This forces the body to turn and naturally creates a line of sight to check for cyclists. While not legally required, failure to take reasonable precautions strengthens a negligence claim.
Who Is Liable in a Dooring Accident?
Liability in a dooring accident can fall on several parties depending on the circumstances.
The Driver or Passenger
The person who opened the door is the most obvious defendant. They had a duty to check for oncoming traffic and failed to do so. Their negligence directly caused the collision.
The Vehicle Owner
If the person who opened the door is not the vehicle owner, the owner may share liability under certain circumstances. Illinois law can hold vehicle owners responsible when they permit someone to use their vehicle and that person causes harm.
Rideshare Companies
Dooring accidents involving Uber and Lyft passengers are increasingly common in Chicago. When a rideshare passenger opens a door into a cyclist, the question of liability becomes more complex. The passenger is at fault for opening the door, but the rideshare driver may also bear responsibility for stopping in an unsafe location, such as a bike lane or a spot with heavy cycling traffic.
The City of Chicago
In rare cases, the city itself may bear some responsibility. If a road was designed in a way that forced cyclists into close proximity with parked cars without adequate buffer space, or if signage was missing or misleading, a claim against the municipality might be possible.
Common Injuries from Dooring Accidents
Dooring accidents often cause severe injuries because cyclists have almost no time to react. Common injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries from hitting the door, the pavement, or another vehicle. Even with a helmet, the impact can cause concussions or worse. Learn more about brain injury claims.
- Broken bones in the arms, wrists, collarbones, and ribs. Cyclists instinctively put out their hands to break a fall, leading to fractures.
- Spinal cord injuries from the sudden impact or from being thrown into traffic.
- Facial injuries including broken jaws, lost teeth, and lacerations.
- Soft tissue injuries such as torn ligaments, sprains, and deep bruising.
- Road rash from sliding across pavement after the initial impact.
Compensation Available to Dooring Accident Victims
If you were injured in a dooring accident, you may be entitled to compensation for:
- Medical bills, including emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, and future treatment
- Lost wages if you missed work during recovery
- Loss of earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to your previous job
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage to your bicycle and equipment
- Emotional distress
The value of your claim depends on the severity of your injuries, the length of your recovery, and the impact on your daily life. Serious dooring accidents involving head trauma or spinal injuries can result in claims worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.
What to Do After a Dooring Accident
The steps you take immediately after a dooring accident can make or break your claim.
Stay at the Scene
Do not leave. Illinois law requires all parties involved in a traffic accident to remain at the scene and exchange information. Get the name, phone number, and insurance information of the person who opened the door, as well as the vehicle owner if different.
Call the Police
Always call the police and get an official report. The responding officer can issue a citation to the person who opened the door, which strengthens your claim significantly. Without a police report, it becomes a he-said-she-said situation. If you did not get a police report, you can still pursue a claim. Read about how an attorney can help build your case with other evidence.
Document Everything
Take photos of the scene, including the open door, your bicycle, your injuries, the street layout, and any bike lane markings. Get contact information from witnesses. Note the exact location, time of day, and weather conditions.
Seek Medical Attention
Go to the emergency room or see a doctor as soon as possible, even if you feel fine. Adrenaline can mask pain, and some injuries like concussions may not show symptoms right away. Medical records linking your injuries to the accident are essential for your claim.
Contact a Bicycle Accident Attorney
An experienced attorney can investigate the accident, gather evidence, deal with insurance companies, and fight for the full compensation you deserve. The insurance process after a dooring accident can be complicated, especially when multiple parties are involved.
Dealing with Insurance Companies After a Dooring Accident
After a dooring accident, you will likely file a claim against the at-fault party’s auto insurance policy. Illinois is a fault-based state, meaning the person who caused the accident is responsible for paying damages through their insurance.
Insurance companies often try to minimize payouts. They may argue that you were riding too close to parked cars, that you were going too fast, or that you should have been able to avoid the door. Do not give a recorded statement to the insurance company without speaking to an attorney first.
Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If you are found to be less than 50% at fault, you can still recover damages, but your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. An insurance adjuster will try to assign you as much blame as possible to reduce their payout.
The Statute of Limitations for Dooring Accident Claims
In Illinois, you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you are filing a claim against the City of Chicago or another government entity, the timeline is much shorter. You typically must provide notice within one year.
Do not wait to take action. Evidence disappears, witnesses forget details, and surveillance footage gets deleted. The sooner you contact an attorney, the stronger your case will be.
Talk to a Chicago Bicycle Accident Lawyer Today
Dooring accidents can cause devastating injuries and leave you facing mounting medical bills, lost income, and a long recovery. You should not have to pay for someone else’s carelessness. An experienced bicycle accident attorney can help you hold the at-fault party accountable and get the compensation you need to move forward.
Call Phillips Law Offices at (312) 346-4262 or contact us online at /contact/ for a free consultation.