Last week, when we published our ‘Dooring Zone’ investigation, we asked readers to share their stories of dooring collisions in Toronto. Here’s what you had to say:
Adam Zendek
Where: College Street, between Dufferin and Bathurst.
When: September 2013
What happened? A pizza guy opened his door on College Street in a bike lane. I flew over his door and hit my head. Spent the night in the hospital with a concussion. Damaged my bike. The guy refused to give me his insurance information and I was not in the mood to call the police for a hit and run. With numerous threats, he finally offered me $1,000. In exchange he asked me not report it. That $1,000 was not adequate compensation for the week I had to take of work, the damage to my bike, and pain and suffering I went through.
Claire
Where: Just east of Bloor and Palmerston
When: September 2008
What happened? I was biking east on Bloor after having turned right from Palmerston. It was around noon, no other cars, no other bikes. One man was walking westbound on the north side of the street.
A taxi was parked in the curb lane, engine off, driver in the front seat. I was biking toward it for at least 20 seconds or so, when suddenly, just as I was passing the rear door, the driver flung his door open. Having been hit by doors in the past, I am always afraid of it happening, and (only) because I was mentally prepared, I threw myself backwards off the bike.
My bike smashed into the interior of the driver’s door, bending it forward, and shattering one of my pedals. My only injury was a scrape on the knee and elbow. It could have been much worse.
The taxi driver began screaming at me, and luckily there had been a witness, who immediately backed me up. I rode away and never reported it to police, just happy to not have been injured.
- S&P/TSX composite closes up nearly 100 points, U.S. stock markets mixed
- Pedestrian in life-threatening condition after being hit by vehicle in Mississauga
- Judge at trial of man accused of killing cop was concerned over Crown changing theory
- Ontario transportation minister pitches 24-hour work to speed up Gardiner construction
Katherine Barber
Where: Virginia Avenue near Woodbine
When: Sometime in the early 2000s
What happened? I was doored on a very quiet street in East York by a woman turning round to look at her baby in the back seat while opening her door. I was thrown backwards off my bike and cracked my helmet but fortunately suffered mostly scrapes and a very painful shoulder blade for several weeks. The worst part was the woman’s husband coming out of the house and yelling at me (as I lay on the road) that I would be charged and have to pay for the damage to her car door (the hinges were bent, though I wasn’t going fast) because clearly “I was in the wrong.” Later the policeman who came to see me in emerg said he had issued her a ticket.
Greg Moore
Where: College and Bay
When: July 15th, 7:30PM
What happened? I was riding east on College in the bike lane approaching Bay. There was a cab stopped in traffic (red light) in the right hand lane, with his car just slightly in the bike lane. No indication that he was pulled over or letting someone out (hazard lights should be mandatory) – As I approached the back of the car, the rear doors opened into the bike lane and a passenger reached his leg out to exit the car. I wasn’t able to react fast enough to unclip my pedals, so me and my bike were flung right over the top of the door. Window shattered, door hinges bent. Passenger was shouting at me as I gathered myself and my bike. Driver didn’t get out or even roll down his window to see if I was ok. Everyone was fine, thankfully. Just some scrapes and bruises and a couple big scratches on my nice road bike.
Interactive: Explore our map of Toronto’s dooring incidents. Click a bubble for details. Enter a location in box to search. Double-click to zoom; click and drag to move around.
Do you have a door-prize horror story? We want to hear it
Note: We may publish your response in this or future stories.
Comments