When most people think of auto accidents, they imagine collisions of a moving vehicle with another car, a bicycle, or an inanimate object. However, accidents involving cars can occur in other ways, as well. Many people are injured each year by car doors, either by slamming body parts in it, opening the door into passing cyclists or pedestrians, or through latch failure while in motion.
While slamming a body part in the door of a car is very rarely fatal, it is often times extremely painful and the victim can sustain lasting injuries. If hair or fingers find themselves shut in a car door, the latch may engage since these are relatively small and thin parts. Should this happen and the driver is not aware of the trapped victim, he or she may drive away with the victim still stuck in the door. This can result in severe injuries or death.
Car doors can also pose a threat to passing cyclists. Drivers who are not aware of the presence of a bike line or a biker pedaling next to their cars may open the door into the rider. This is extremely dangerous for the cyclist because he or she can experience a relatively high-speed collision into a solid object. Often times, the biker is thrown over the door, which has a high likelihood of causing a head or neck injury.
Finally, car door latch failure can cause terrible injuries or even fatalities to passengers not wearing a seat belt. When the latch fails during an accident, the victim can be thrown out of the car, resulting in far worse injuries than he or she may have sustained if he or she had remained within the confines of the vehicle.
Contact Us
Car door accidents are more common and more dangerous than people may think. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a car door accident please do not hesitate to contact the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen, P.L.L.C. at 612-362-0000 today.
