If you were injured in a bike accident caused by dooring, then you might need to file a personal injury claim to recover compensation for your damages. Keep reading to learn about dooring accidents, California dooring laws, and how to recover compensation for your damages. Then contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Defining Dooring
First, let us make sure we are on the same page regarding the definition of dooring. It refers to an accident in which the driver or passenger of a vehicle opens their door into the path of a moving cyclist. Whether the cyclist is struck by the door or moves out of the way of the door and sustains an injury by another vehicle, the person who opened the door could be held responsible for damages and injuries sustained by the bike rider.
California’s Dooring Laws
It is very common for both drivers and bike riders to believe that there are no specific laws against dooring. This is false. In fact, California Vehicle Code 22517 holds that a driver or passenger cannot open their door on the side of traffic unless doing so does not interfere with traffic and can be done reasonably safely.
In practice, this means that vehicle passengers and drivers are required to look both ways before opening their door, and if opening their door causes injury or property damage, then they can be held accountable.
Liability for Dooring Accidents in California
If you were riding your bike safely and in accordance with the law when you were doored, then the blame for the accident should fall squarely on the shoulders of the person who opened their door unsafely. Every driver and passenger is required to look for oncoming traffic before they open their door – and oncoming traffic includes people on bikes.
To win a personal injury claim against a person who opened their door, you must be able to show that they did not check before they opened their door and that their opening of the door is what caused your injuries. The good news is that it is not your responsibility to prove this – that is what your personal injury attorney is there for.
Request a Free Legal Consultation from an Attorney
If you have been injured in a dooring accident and you believe that someone else was at fault, we recommend you contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation. We can carefully consider your case, determine the facts, and build a case against the at-fault party. Coll us no to get started.
