You are riding your bicycle or motorcycle through downtown Indianapolis when a parked car door swings open directly into your path. You have no time to stop. The collision happens in an instant, and the consequences can be severe.
These crashes are called dooring accidents, and they are more common than most people realize, particularly in urban areas with heavy on-street parking like downtown Indianapolis, Broad Ripple, Fountain Square, and Mass Ave.
If this has happened to you, you may be wondering who is responsible and whether you have a legal claim. This guide answers those questions and walks you through the steps to take after a dooring accident in Indiana.
What Is a Dooring Accident?
A dooring accident occurs when a driver or passenger in a parked vehicle opens their door into the path of an oncoming cyclist, motorcyclist, or other road user without checking for approaching traffic first. The person struck by the door has little to no time to react, and the impact can throw them from their bike, into oncoming traffic, or onto the pavement with significant force.
Dooring accidents cause a wide range of injuries, from road rash and broken bones to traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and in the most serious cases, death. Even a collision at relatively low speed can cause severe harm when a rider is thrown unexpectedly.
Is Dooring Illegal in Indiana?
Yes. Indiana law prohibits opening a vehicle door into moving traffic without first checking that it is safe to do so. Under Indiana Code 9-21-8-34, no person shall open the door of a motor vehicle on the side adjacent to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and can be done without interfering with the movement of other traffic. Violating this statute is a traffic infraction and can be powerful evidence of negligence in a personal injury claim.
Who Is Liable in a Dooring Accident?
Liability in dooring accidents is less straightforward than it might appear, and understanding who can be held responsible is important to pursuing fair compensation.
The driver or passenger who opened the door. The person who opened the door without checking for approaching traffic is the most direct source of liability. Under Indiana’s negligence laws, they had a duty to check before opening their door, and failing to do so breaches that duty. If their negligence caused your injuries, they can be held liable for your damages.
The vehicle owner. If the person who opened the door was not the vehicle’s owner, such as a passenger in someone else’s car, the vehicle owner may also bear some responsibility depending on the circumstances.
An employer. If the person who opened the door was doing so in the course of their employment, such as a rideshare driver dropping off a passenger or a delivery driver, their employer may be vicariously liable for the resulting injuries.
A rideshare company. Dooring accidents involving Uber and Lyft vehicles raise additional liability questions. Passengers exiting rideshare vehicles in busy urban drop-off zones are a significant source of dooring incidents. Whether the rideshare company itself bears liability depends on the driver’s status at the time of the accident and the specific facts of the case.
Could the cyclist or motorcyclist share fault? Indiana’s modified comparative fault rules apply to dooring accidents. If the injured rider was traveling too fast, riding in an area where cycling was prohibited, or otherwise contributing to the accident, their recovery may be reduced by their percentage of fault. However, as long as the rider was not more than 50 percent at fault, they can still recover compensation. An attorney can evaluate how fault is likely to be allocated in your specific case.
What to Do After a Dooring Accident in Indianapolis
Call 911
Even if your injuries seem minor, call 911 and wait for police to arrive. A police report creates an official record of the accident and documents the other party’s information. Officers may also note the traffic infraction for opening a door into traffic, which supports your claim.
Get Medical Attention the Same Day
Seek medical care immediately, even if you feel able to walk away from the scene. Adrenaline masks pain, and injuries like concussions, internal bleeding, and soft tissue damage frequently have delayed symptoms. A medical record from the day of the accident is one of the most critical documents in any personal injury claim. Waiting days to see a doctor gives the insurance company grounds to argue your injuries were not caused by the accident.
Document Everything at the Scene
If you are physically able to do so safely, photograph the vehicle that doored you, including the license plate, the open door, and the position of the vehicle relative to the bike lane or road. Photograph your bicycle or motorcycle, your injuries, and the surrounding area. Note whether there is a bike lane, how wide the parking lane is, and whether any nearby businesses have surveillance cameras that may have captured the incident.
Get the Other Party’s Information
Obtain the name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, license plate, and insurance information of the driver and vehicle owner. If a passenger opened the door, get their information as well. Get contact information from any witnesses before they leave the scene.
Do Not Admit Fault
Do not apologize, speculate about what happened, or make any statements suggesting you could have avoided the accident. Indiana’s comparative fault rules mean that anything you say about your own actions can be used to reduce your recovery.
Report the Accident to Your Insurance Company
Notify your own insurer promptly. If you were on a bicycle, your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy may provide some coverage. If you were on a motorcycle, your own motorcycle insurance may apply. Keep the conversation factual and do not give a recorded statement to the other party’s insurer without first speaking to an attorney.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
Dooring accident cases involve liability questions that are not always straightforward, particularly when a rideshare vehicle or employer is involved. An attorney can investigate the accident, identify all potentially liable parties, preserve critical evidence like surveillance footage before it is overwritten, and ensure your claim is handled correctly from the start.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Dooring Accident?
If you were injured in a dooring accident caused by someone else’s negligence, Indiana law allows you to pursue compensation for the full range of your damages.
Economic damages include past and future medical expenses, lost wages if your injuries prevented you from working, future loss of earning capacity if the injuries affect your long-term ability to work, and damage to your bicycle or motorcycle.
Non-economic damages cover physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and disfigurement. In cases involving severe or permanent injuries, these non-economic damages can be substantial.
Dooring Accidents Involving Cyclists and Indiana Law
Indiana law treats bicycles as vehicles entitled to use the roadway. Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle drivers under Indiana Code 9-21-11. In Indianapolis, many streets in high-traffic areas include designated bike lanes, and cyclists in those lanes have a particularly strong legal position when a parked car door opens into their path. The driver who opens a door into a bike lane is violating both the door-opening statute and the rights of cyclists to use that lane safely.
Despite these legal protections, cyclists and motorcyclists often face bias when pursuing claims after dooring accidents. Insurers may attempt to argue the rider was going too fast, was riding too close to parked cars, or should have anticipated the hazard. An experienced attorney understands these arguments and knows how to counter them with evidence.
How Long Do You Have to File a Dooring Accident Claim in Indiana?
Indiana’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the accident. Missing this deadline permanently eliminates your right to compensation, regardless of how strong your case is. If the vehicle that doored you was a government-owned vehicle, the Indiana Tort Claims Act requires a notice of claim to be filed within 270 days of the incident, which is a significantly shorter window.
Beyond the legal deadlines, acting quickly matters for practical reasons. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses is routinely overwritten within 30 to 60 days. Witnesses’ memories fade. The sooner an attorney gets involved, the better the chances of preserving the evidence that makes the difference in these cases.
Injured in a Dooring Accident in Indianapolis? Contact Parr Injury Law.
Parr Richey Frandsen Patterson Kruse LLP represents cyclists, motorcyclists, and other injury victims throughout Indianapolis and across Indiana. Our attorneys have recovered more than $100 million for Indiana injury victims and handle every case on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
If a car door opened into your path and left you injured, contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.