rashandcurious

I got doored a little over a week ago in some small, suburbanish section of my city. All things considered, the damage to me and my ride was pretty minimal, a few scrapes, bruises, and a tacoed front wheel. When I got off the ground I was ready for a fight with this ***hole driver, who I was sure was going to pin this on me, but exactly the opposite happened. He accepted full responsibility, offered to pay for all the repairs to my bike, and checked my shoulder for breaks and dislocations (he was a retired ER doc). We ended up having a beer on his porch and chatting about medical school.

This all stuck me as exceptionally odd because every story I've ever heard of bike v. car accidents has ended in a yelling match between driver and rider or a trip to the ER. Does anyone else have a perspective on this? It would be great to know that there are more people like this out there.

DanielCoffey

I am really glad it worked out so well for you - you never know, you may have made a new life-long friend there.

And you can be certain he'll always check his door before opening it in future.

shants

Be sure to check your frame and fork very carefully for buckled tubes. I've known several people who've crashed and thought that there was no damage only to later find slight bends or crinkled paint in either their fork steerer or top and down tubes near the head tube. It really sucks to find this sort of damage after you've received any compensation.

That said, it's really quite awesome that your experience went as well as could be hoped for.

dirtyphotons

from a few months ago:

i was riding in the the inner lane of dupont circle this morning, in the middle of the lane. as it often is, traffic was pretty much stopped on the outer lane, but the inner was pretty much clear.

as i ride by, a thirtysomething guy in a miata with virginia tags pulls into my lane. he would've hit me sideways if i hadn't swerved and yelled HEY!

i head down 19th street and as i get to the red light on m street he pulls up beside me.

driver (looking embarassed): i'm SO sorry about that, i-

me (interrupting): hey man, it happens to everybody. you'll have an eye out for me next time right?

driver: oh absolutely, i-

me: alright, good talk.

light turns green, i ride away.

not a common exchange, but it's nice when it does happen.

matt wisconsin

I came off a main road onto a side road with angle parking and a black suv with tinted windows pulled out just in time for me to not be able to stop[had brakes back then too]. I rear ended it and was on the ground, realizing I hit a really nice black SUV with tinted windows. I was in Milwaukee and my imagination was flying as to who would be driving this.. and they sat in the car for about 15 seconds so I was kind of nervous, but eventually a couple got out and accepted responsibility.. I half-tacoed my wheel and was right next to Cory's so I had them fix my tire and I was off. Later, the whole right side of my body was almost numb and I still have a scar on my knuckle, but it turned out better than it could have.. heh.

maddyfish

Not all crashes end bad. Most people on the road are decent. The thing is, the decent ones don't run into cyclists very often, it is usually the bad people who hit cyclists.

babychris

I actually got doored pretty badly earlier. i'm pretty sure my hip is chipped. all I know is I cant walk. it sucks. at least the person was nice and didn't try and dick me over.

matt wisconsin

everyone should learn how to lean over their bars and shut their door like that one NYC messenger.

IllSpecialist

Remember, you are not at fault if you are doored. Its the drivers responsibilty to check all mirrors before exiting a vehicle.

_hollister_

Never been doored, always anticipating it. If I don't have enough room to avoid doors I hit the sidewalk.

A collision between a bike and pedestrian is better then between a bike and a car.

Cynikal 

Or just stay 3 feet from parked cars.

bigbris1

Glad eveything worked out for you.

I got doored about 13 years ago in midtown Manhattan by a woman getting out of the Mercedes. She flung the door open, it was either the door of go under the moving car to my left. BOOM!

Front wheel taco. I don't remember falling but I remember telling her that this was my job & how I couldn't do it without a front wheel. She gave me $50 which I pocketed & went back to my company to pick up my spare wheel.

The time I really got hurt was my fault, there was a leaf on my front tire & I kept trying to grab it off (I'm OCD) whilst riding. BAM! Right into the back of a parked van. My front wheel was OK but my knee wasn't (knee to the stem). I limped in pain to the nearest hospital (St. Vincent's) using the bike as a crutch with wheels & told the triage nurse what happened. She replied, "OK, but first we have to sew up your eye." "What do you mean?" She handed me a mirror & it looked like I had a set of lips on my eyebrow. Needless to say after that I bought a helmet.

windup capybara

tourist in an suv doored me outside an MIT building last year. seperated my shoulder and left me unable to work for a while. after it happened, he got out, asked me in a frustrated tone if i was alright. i didn't say anything, because i was really dizzy and stunned. all i could do was drag my broken bike to the curb and sit down against a tree. i felt like blacking out. the driver didn't stick around, but headed into the building, leaving his car there. i was too dazed to talk to him, but i did take his license plate. eventually i sent him a letter asking for his insurance information so i could make a claim, but obviously he never responded and i didn't get any compensation. lots of mistakes made there on both the driver's part, and mine. i still have a large scar across my shoulder.

now i ride way away from parked cars, to the point of being in the lane. i don't care if people get pissed at me for taking the lane, it's better that than being doored again. i've been hit and had minor and not-so-minor accidents since then but nothing was as bad.

mavimao

I was doored in High school about 7 years ago. A friend and I were biking to his house and I was riding in front when suddenly a car door popped open and life started running in slow motion before I smacked right into it. I had a swollen shoulder and a bent fork and wheel. The woman who was in the car was crying hysterically and kept apologizing. We exchanged information and a few weeks later an agent from her insurance company came to my apartment and gave me money to fix my bike plus a bit extra and the assurance that if any thing were to happen to my body anytime in the future as a result of this accident, they would pay for the medical bills.

Of course, this was in France, so you'd expect a little social equality.

erichsia

About 6 years ago when i was living in Chicago, I was on my way to go get my taxes done at Truman CC in Rogers Park. I was going down Wilson, checking the traffic. When I turned my head back, there was the door. I went over my handlebars, with my chin clipping the edge of the car door. Landed on my back, & when the guy I hit picked me up, blood was gushing my chin. Not like a drop here & there, but like I could feel it gushing out of my chin on to my shirt. Weird sensation, seeing as how my chin was also so numb after impact. Well, the accident happened in right front of a Christian commune named Jesus People USA (JPUSA for short), and the people that doored me were members. And man, they looked like they just doored an apostle and were freaking out! One guy drove me to the hospital a few blocks away while the other guy in the car, dude from Mexico first time away from home, stored my bike at their building. JPUSA is a Christian organization that owns 2 apt buildings in Chicago which houses all their members, as well as a number of businesses (contracting, screen printing, couple others). They pull in a lot of money from what I've been told. Anyways, too-long story short, this organization paid for all my hospital bills (which was beautiful, as I had no medical insurance and needed 15 stitches to close up my chin), sent out an insurance man to my apt to estimate damages to my bike, and had their accountant do my taxes for me. All told, this simple little dooring netted me almost 1200 dollars. I'm sure other people have gotten more, but in the part of town I was in, i was lucky they didn't throw my bike their trunk & peel outta there. I'm no believer in an denomination, but thank god for Christians with a conscience.

shapelike

That was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.

JYPC

My buddy a few months ago lost an entire finger which was caught in a car door.

I will take an entire lane, regardless of motorist opinion. I like my both my hands the way they are.

legstwelve

Similar thing happened to me in Australia except a car sideswiped me. The driver was so apologetic and freaking out. In the end I only needed stitches in my leg but the bike was totalled.

Bike damage was covered by their car insurance and the medical treatment was covered by Medicare. The cheque that I got for my road bike has enabled me to build up a track bike and go on holiday so I feel that I have been compensated, although would rather not be hit by a car again.

Surely the people that have been doored are covered by the driver's insurance for medical/property damage?

prawza

"The sound of a car door opening in front of you is similar to the sound of a gun being cocked." Amy Webster