A 64-year-old bicyclist suffered fatal injuries after a driver opened his door, striking and throwing the victim in the path of oncoming traffic. According to a report on Streetsblog.org, the fatal bicycle accident occurred the morning of Feb. 27. The victim was riding a Citi Bike eastbound on Broadway near the intersection of Lorimer in the Williamsburg section, when the driver of a sedan opened his door into the bicyclist’s path, sending him tumbling into the street where he was struck by another car.
Emergency personnel transported the man to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Officials said both drivers remained at the scene and no summonses have been issued. An investigation is still ongoing. We offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s family for their tragic loss.
Road Safety Challenges for Bicyclists
Transportation Alternatives, a traffic safety advocacy group, pointed out in its statement about this fatal bicycle accident that Broadway does not have a bike lane and that the intersection where the crash occurred lacks daylighting measures. Daylighting is a safety measure that is achieved by removing curb parking spaces around an intersection, which helps increase visibility for all road users. According to the group, there have been 15 crashes just at the intersection of Broadway and Lorimer Street between January 2021 and December 2023, which injured four bicyclists, one pedestrian and three motorists.
The city’s Department of Transportation told Streetsblog that it has made changes at five of the 17 intersections between Hooper Street and Flushing Avenue — work which dates back to 2018. In 2021, the agency closed a few slip lanes at intersections and daylighted one part of the intersection of Broadway and Lewis Avenue. Officials said they would review the design at the location of this bicycle accident, as they do after all fatal crashes.
Dooring Laws in New York City
In New York City, dooring laws are enforced to protect cyclists from accidents caused by opening vehicle doors. These laws mandate that occupants of parked vehicles must check for approaching cyclists before opening their doors. Violating these laws can result in fines and penalties.
The New York City Traffic Rules and Regulations §4-08(e) specifically address this issue, stating that “No person shall open the door of a motor 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 such cases, negligent (careless) motorists or passengers can be held responsible for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitative treatment, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims can also seek compensation for their losses by filing a wrongful death claim.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident or pedestrian accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For over 53 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole.
We also obtained $295,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens into the path of a bicyclist). Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/02/27/cyclist-killed-after-being-doored-into-traffic-on-unsafe-brooklyn-street