Managing Partner
Imagine yourself riding your bicycle contentedly on the street. Out of nowhere, a car door opens in front of you. With no time to react, you collide into the open car door.
What happens next may range from mild bruising to catastrophic injuries. If you suffered injuries due to a dooring accident, a Los Angeles dooring accident lawyer can provide the assistance you need to get you the compensation you deserve.
A “dooring accident” refers to a situation where a bicyclist collides with a suddenly opened vehicle door. A cyclist usually has limited time to react and cannot stop before the collision. These dangerous situations occur without warning and often result in devastating injuries.
Dooring accidents occur more commonly due to the increase in popularity of ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft. Unfortunately, when passengers reach their destination, they often open the door without checking for cyclists as they exit a vehicle.
California Vehicle Code Section 22517 outlines the law on a driver’s liability in a dooring accident.
The law provides, “no person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and can be done without interfering with the movement of such 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.”
Essentially, a driver violating the laws outlined in this code section is at fault for any resulting dooring accidents. However, proving fault in these complex situations requires the assistance of a Los Angeles dooring accident lawyer.
Dooring accidents range in severity from minor bruising to severe injuries.
Common injuries resulting from dooring accidents include the following:
Being doored can happen at any time, anywhere. If you suffered injuries from a dooring accident, you need the assistance of a qualified Los Angeles dooring accident lawyer.
You have a right to recover compensation after suffering injuries in a dooring accident. A California dooring accident lawyer may help you recover the compensation needed to recover from your injuries and get your life back on track. California breaks compensatory damages into two categories–economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages include calculable and definite damages that result from your injuries. Economic damages include the following:
In the event you suffered injuries in a dooring accident, retain all invoices, medical bills, and other tangible evidence of your losses. Your California dooring accident lawyer uses this information to support your claim for economic damages.
Non-economic damages represent subjective and physical losses suffered in your accident. However, these damages vary significantly from person to person. These damages are not supported by tangible evidence like economic damages. Non-economic damages include the following:
Your Los Angeles dooring accident attorney uses your testimony to support your case for non-economic damages. Non-economic damages, despite their significant variation from case to case, should never be overlooked.
These damages may be significantly greater than economic damage awards in some cases. Furthermore, non-economic damages often provide the support needed to move forward with your life following a devastating dooring accident.
Dooring accidents often result in devastating injuries. When these accidents occur due to a driver’s negligence, you deserve to recover for the harm you suffered. With over fifty years of combined legal experience, the attorneys at Glotzer & Leib, LLP have empowered our clients to focus on getting better while working diligently to secure the compensation they deserve.
We understand you may be experiencing a range of emotions from anger, frustration, and anxiety. There’s no need to suffer through these feelings alone. The attorneys at Glotzer & Leib, LLP are here to help you through this difficult time.
Contact us today for a free consultation to find out what we can do for you.