Were You Injured In A Dooring Accident?
Riding a bicycle on Atlanta’s busy streets has never been more dangerous for cyclists, who are not only outnumbered, but are far less protected than drivers in the event of a collision. One of the most common types of vehicle-bicycle accidents occurs when a driver parks on the side of the road and without checking his or her blind spot, opens the car door into the path of a cyclist traveling in the same direction. While the property damage from these kinds of accidents can be significant, it pales in comparison to the types of serious injuries that the cyclist can sustain. Even at low speeds, dooring accidents almost always cause a rider to be thrown from the bicycle, often into traffic.
Georgia’s Dooring Law
Dooring accidents have become so pervasive in the state that Georgia lawmakers passed a statute that specifically addresses this type of accident. Under state law, drivers are barred from opening the door of their vehicles, on the side available to moving traffic, until they can do so without interfering with that traffic. Motorists are also forbidden from leaving their doors open longer than is necessary to load or unload passengers. Unfortunately, despite this legal duty, many drivers fail to check for cyclists when opening their doors, resulting in serious injuries for the rider. It is, however, possible for injured cyclists to seek compensation from the at-fault driver who caused their dooring accident by filing a personal injury claim in court. Filing this type of claim is important after dooring accidents, which are notorious for causing particularly devastating injuries, especially to the head and limbs.
Demonstrating Fault
When filing a claim against a driver after a dooring accident, the injured party will need to prove that the driver behaved unreasonably when opening the door into traffic. This can be achieved by showing that the driver in question was cited immediately after the accident by police for violating Georgia’s dooring law. Fortunately, even if there is no citation, an injured cyclist could still prove successful in filing a personal injury claim against a negligent driver by:
- Obtaining eyewitness testimony from someone who saw the accident and noticed that the driver didn’t look for approaching cyclists;
- Footage from nearby traffic or security cameras that show the driver’s actions leading up to the accident;
- Photos from the scene of the accident; and
- A model or other visual representation reconstructing the accident.
Providing this kind of convincing evidence is crucial to the outcome of a personal injury claim. To learn more about the kinds of evidence that you will need to file a successful accident claim, please reach out to our dedicated Atlanta legal team today.
Contact Our Dedicated Atlanta Bicycle Accident Lawyers Today
If you were injured in a dooring accident, or in any other type of collision with a motorist, call the experienced Atlanta bicycle accident attorneys at Shiver Hamilton Campbell for a free consultation. You can reach us by calling our office at 404-593-0020 or by sending us an online message.
Sources:
law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2020/title-40/chapter-6/article-11/section-40-6-243/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36221974/
