By Brendan Kevenides
Chicago Bicycle Advocate
March 30, 2011
On March 17th a 40 year old Chicago man was struck by a taxicab door while riding his bicycle southbound in the dedicate bike lane along the 2400 block of North Lincoln Avenue. This was an unusual dooring incident in that the bicyclist was struck by the door from his left. The taxi had stopped in the street to allow passengers to alight as the cyclist pedaled by. As he passed along the vehicle’s right side the door opened unexpectedly, crashing into the side of the bicycle vaulting the rider into a parked car.
The bicyclist was transported from the scene via ambulance to Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he was treated for a left hand fracture and sprained knee. Though released from the hospital he is still undergoing medical treatment. Our law firm has been hired to represent the cyclist. By discharging his passengers into a dedicated bike lane, the cab driver violated the Municipal Code of Chicago which requires all drivers to avoid opening a vehicle door into moving bike traffic. The Code also prohibits blocking any portion of a bike lane with any part of a vehicle.
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