Hamilton police investigating ‘dooring’ incident that injured two cyclists

Hamilton police have confirmed they’re investigating an incident involving a pair of cyclists being injured after getting “doored” on Locke Street.

A video posted on Twitter by David Shellnutt, known as “The Biking Lawyer”, shows the pair crashing to the ground after one of them is hit when the driver of a parked vehicle opens the door in their path.

Shellnut is representing Michael Gilroy and his partner.

He said they were riding their bikes in their neighbourhood on a warm day in April and were trying to get from one part of the roadway that has bike lanes to another, but the collision happened on a portion of Locke that doesn’t have dedicated bike lanes.

“Out of nowhere, a driver threw open a huge and heavy Tesla door, which his partner collided in and sent her careening into Michael and both of them went down very hard on the pavement,” he told Global News.

Gilroy and his partner were too shocked and shaken by the incident to realize the extent of their injuries until they went to the hospital.

Both cyclists suffered broken wrists and Gilroy had broken some ribs, while his partner was diagnosed with a possible concussion.

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Although the driver who opened the door did apologize to them immediately after the incident, Shellnutt said they didn’t give Gilroy and his partner their information and left the scene without reporting the incident to police.

“As citizens involved in motor vehicle collisions with vulnerable road users — pedestrians, cyclists — injury or not, you’ve got to report these things and you’ve got to stick around. People are so often in shock and they’ll tell you that they’re okay, but they simply don’t know the extent of their injuries.”

Shellnutt also suggested the driver could have avoided what happened by doing what’s called a “Dutch reach”, which involves opening the door with one’s right hand, forcing the driver to look over their shoulder and see if anyone is approaching them from behind.

A dooring charge comes with losing three demerit points and a fine between $300 and $1,000.

A spokesperson for Hamilton Police confirmed that they are investigating what happened, although didn’t elaborate on what possible charges the driver could be facing.

“Charges will be determined by the investigating officer,” wrote Jackie Penman in an email.

Shellnutt said that the city is also partially responsible for what happened by not ensuring cycling infrastructure is well-connected.

“Maybe not in a legal context, but they can be to blame for a lack of foresight in setting up safe infrastructure that protects and prioritizes the safety of vulnerable road users,” he said.

The incident happened in April but was posted on Twitter on Monday, which also coincided with the second day of the Ontario Bike Summit, which was held in downtown Hamilton.

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