Toronto cyclist Chelsea Mobishwash says she is pursuing legal action a week after sustaining serious injuries from being doored by a parked delivery truck while riding in a bike lane in downtown Toronto.
“I’m lucky I’m able to walk but every step I make is really painful,” she told Global News.
Mobishwash said she was travelling westbound on Adelaide Street on Aug. 26 when she noticed a delivery truck partially blocking the bike lane.
“I had a weird feeling approaching it because I noticed nobody was going in, nobody was going out,” she said. “So I wasn’t even sure if there was anyone in the truck at all.”
The incident, which was caught on security video by a nearby business and posted on social media, shows Mobishwash traveling just passed Morrison Street when the truck’s passenger door flings open.
“I figured ringing my bell rapidly, absolutely rapidly would make sure that they could hear me as I was going by,” she said. “But of course as I approached the truck I did not see the door open at all.”
As Mobishwash was knocked to the ground, bystanders and a work colleague riding behind her are seen in the video rushing to help.
“He was literally my guardian angel in a sense that he responded immediately,” she said. “He grabbed my phone which was on the ground and called 911. I was very delirious for a while.”
Mobishwash was taken to hospital where she was treated for a head injury and a gash to her left arm, which required several stitches.
She said a police report has been filed and that she is in the process of seeking legal action against the delivery truck operator.
“I know the passenger was sympathetic in a sense that he felt bad of course. I’m sure he didn’t do it on purpose,” she said. “It’s all a matter of carelessness.”
Mobishwash said she hopes the incident serves as a reminder to other cyclists and motorists to be aware of their surroundings.
“The one positive good thing that will come out of this is spreading awareness for bikers and really anyone to be consciously aware of what’s ahead of them,” she said.