In a city that seems to track everything, it is a wonder that we do not track dooring incidents. I currently have a friend who is being sued for dooring a female cyclist in Toronto. She broke her Pelvis and is clearly the type to try for anything she can get. I do not necessarily blame her, but is it fair to say that she too needs to be more vigilant? Was she wearing the right reflective gear? After all, it was night time. Did she only have a reflecting light on her rear? I know my friends truck is massive, so the large swinging door may break something, but I also know that he would look first, as he claims to have done.
We always have to be conscious of the biker. But, is the biker reckless to us? I believe there are many cases where they could have done more to protect themselves. How about the guy who had a squirrel latch onto his front tire, only to have the squirrel lodge itself in his forks, sending him head over handlebars, with no helmet!! Yes, this happened. Perhaps a helmet...
The Toronto Police Service wants to start tracking these incidents if it is absolutely necessary. I believe tracking them is a good thing, but until that moment, I do not think you can sue someone for it. I do not speak for this woman, but I can say that if she had been a bit more vigilant, she could have noticed the chance that the door was going to open. It was also a downhill ride for her, and it was raining. This makes it even harder for the driver to notice someone speeding down the hill.
I do not believe that he should be held responsible for this case, since it is not a law, there was reduced vision, and the cyclist needed to be more aware in order to help her case.
Here is a new site that is dedicated to tracking dooring incidents in Toronto:
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