Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Skokie Bicyclist Doored Near North Shore Channel Trail

The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices have been retained to represent a Skokie man who sustained a serious injury after being "doored" in a bicycle accident in Skokie. The bike accident occurred on the morning of June 26 while he was riding northbound on Gross Point Road. While riding northbound on Gross Point Road the bicyclist was doored by a driver. Under Section 11-1407 of the Illinois Rules of the Road a "dooring" is as follows:

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, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.

In this motor vehicle vs. bicycle accident, the driver's side door of the motor vehicle impacted with the cyclist's right side of the handlebars, a classic occurrence when a driver opens their driver's side door without looking. The driver of the motor vehicle was required to only open her driver side door if it was reasonably safe.

As a result of the dooring, the cyclist suffered a severe gash on the middle finger of his right hand after the edge of the door lacerated the finger. The police officer who filed the report issued the driver who caused the bike accident a citation for "dooring."

Keating Law Offices has successfully represented numerous Illinois bicyclists who have been injured in a bicycle accident or bicycle crash while riding. If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving a bicycle accident or Illinois personal injury law, 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 confidential and free.