Doored and filing a police report
I was doored this afternoon near Palmer Square while biking with both of my kids (ages 1 and 5) on my bike. Riding in a bike lane and the door felt like it came out of nowhere.
After assessing myself and my kids and determining that only myself as the rider suffered any bodily damage, I was able to take down the driver's name, number, car info (make/model/license) and get his insurance information. The driver did not want to call 911 in the moment and in all honestly, I did not either. A bit over 2 weeks ago an officer and I were involved in an incident over bike road rules a block from this spot and since I have since filed a report against him, I was concerned he would be the responding officer. My bike is no longer rideable and the driver's door was unable to be closed. The driver was parked in front of a home and did not leave.
After the incident,I walked across the park to inquire from 2 officers sitting in their unmarked car if I needed to file a report immediately or if I could go in to the station. They assured me the information I had obtained was enough to walk into the station and file a report.
I attempted to do so this evening. The officer on duty didn't know it was possible to report a dooring and after asking around found the proper paperwork. I guess there is more information I need such as the car VIN# that I don't have. He suggested that in the morning, I go back to the site of the accident and call 911 to have the police come out. I passed by the site on my way home and the car is no longer there.
So, now what? I am bruised and scraped and thank goodness my kids are ok but my bike has a lot of damage. Am I on a wild goose chase in order to receive compensation for my damages?
Views: 627
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on -
Call the Crash Hotline tomorrow and get in touch with one of Chicago bike lawyers. You aren't on a wild goose chase, but you'll want a professional by your side.
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on -
+1
Leah Jone said:Call the Crash Hotline tomorrow and get in touch with one of Chicago bike lawyers. You aren't on a wild goose chase, but you'll want a professional by your side.
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Permalink Reply by Justin B Newman on -
+1: Crash Hotline.
+1: Bike lawyer.
From my amateur perspective, you're not reporting "a dooring." You're reporting a collision between an automobile and a bicycle. (Colloquially, "an accident"). It happens that the cause was the auto driver opening his door into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
I'm glad to hear you and your kids are OK. Of course, if you're bruised and scraped, I'm guessing you're feeling pretty lousy this morning. :( Hang in there!
-jbn
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi on -
FWIW--never heard of having to have a VIN # to report a collision and I have seen a few crash reports in my day.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on -
In the future with that much damage to both vehicles you NEED to call the police.
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Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on -
Needing the VIN is ridiculous. I doubt that the police obtain the VIN in an auto/auto accident unless there is a doubt as to whether the license plate is not legitimate and the plate does not match make/model of the car(s) involved.
The VIN is part of the registration information filed with the DOT. If the cops are requiring you to provide the VIN (something they HAVE if you gave them the licence tag #) then they are simply giving you the run-around for whatever reason. I can imagine a list of reasons as they probably all have heard about your prior interaction with the other officer and the complaint you have with him. Cops ALWAYS stick together. It's in their genetic make-up.
Call a good cycling lawyer now as others have suggested. I hope they can straighten this out for you and make this right. I'm sure that the cops have already made up their mind that you "got what was coming to you" with incident and you were already warned by their fellow brother in blue. That is total BS -so you need to fight this with everything you have.
Call a good cycle lawyer -the auto driver is at fault and you need to be made right, and the cycling community as a whole needs this to come out the right way instead of this guy getting away with it.
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Permalink Reply by Cameron 7.5 mi on -
There is a space on the report form for a VIN but that doesn't mean that it's required. The report should be writen with whatever information is available. The police in the unmarked car should have written the report themselves or called someone. If either vehicle is not roadworthy following a crash, than if an officer is on the scene they must write a report.
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Permalink Reply by Dragonborn on -
In my opinion, calling 911 right after a cyclist is doored would make the situation easier for the cyclist. I feel that having the police actually come to assess the situation and fill out the report on the spot for you would save a lot of inconvenience. I feel that it is the cyclist's best interest to never let any motorist off the hook, even temporarily. Always call 911 immediately when you get doored!
If you're concerned about who the responding officer would be, always know this, the police serve the people, not the other way around. Don't like the responding officer? Ask for a different officer or request the officer's supervisor to come to the scene. Unless you're a criminal yourself, there should be no reason to be afraid or concerned of the police.
Anyway, I am glad that at the very least, your children are okay. I hope everything will work in your favor. Hang in there.
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Permalink Reply by AM 9.5 on -
+1
The officer at the station was simply making it burdensome to file a report, hoping you would go away. They did the same thing to me a few weeks back when I witnessed a cyclist get hit by a driver of a car at Des Plaines/Lake. I waited for an hour for the police with two other witnesses (CFD took the cyclist to NW Memorial after about 15 minutes - I hear he's ok). When the police did not show, I took the contact information from the other two witnesses along with photos of the driver, car and license plate down to 18th/State. The desk officer did everything he could to get me to go away: told me I had no "right" to report an accident; told me that unless I was the injured cyclist, my information could not possibly be relevant; told me I needed the VIN#; told me that I was lying because Lake St. runs one-way the opposite way from which the car was traveling (the officer was completely wrong; Lake is two-way at Des Plaines); falsely telling me that no report had been created; telling me I needed to report the accident to the hit/run division, located at a different station (the driver did not leave the scene); accusing me of just trying to bolster the cyclist's story, who, he surmised, was likely at fault (the driver ran the red and admitted doing so); and generally questioning my motivation. Finally, I told him that I was taking time from my job to do the right thing so that the cyclist, who was taken from the scene before the police arrived, would have witness information in the event of a lawsuit or insurance issues, and showed him the photos of the poor guy on the ground, the driver and her damaged car. The officer took 5 seconds to speak into a radio, and in 20 minutes the officer assigned to the investigation showed up and gladly took my report (and told me she had spoken to both the cyclist and the driver, and confirmed the driver was at fault and insured). A really unpleasant experience offering little to motivate someone to do the right thing.
James BlackHeron said:Needing the VIN is ridiculous. I doubt that the police obtain the VIN in an auto/auto accident unless there is a doubt as to whether the license plate is not legitimate and the plate does not match make/model of the car(s) involved.
The VIN is part of the registration information filed with the DOT. If the cops are requiring you to provide the VIN (something they HAVE if you gave them the licence tag #) then they are simply giving you the run-around for whatever reason. I can imagine a list of reasons as they probably all have heard about your prior interaction with the other officer and the complaint you have with him. Cops ALWAYS stick together. It's in their genetic make-up.
Call a good cycling lawyer now as others have suggested. I hope they can straighten this out for you and make this right. I'm sure that the cops have already made up their mind that you "got what was coming to you" with incident and you were already warned by their fellow brother in blue. That is total BS -so you need to fight this with everything you have.
Call a good cycle lawyer -the auto driver is at fault and you need to be made right, and the cycling community as a whole needs this to come out the right way instead of this guy getting away with it.
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Permalink Reply by Lee Crandell on -
Glad you're okay! What a frustrating experience. Yes, call the crash support hotline: 312-869-HELP
And you should still be able to file a crash report after the fact. Sometimes it's just a matter of talking to a different person at the police station to get a different (correct) answer. I once ended up getting an officer to come to my work to take down my report hours after getting hit while walking across the street by my home. The officer told me it's always best to stay at the scene and wait to file the report on site, but he was very sympathetic and helpful, even sharing his own story of getting hit by a car -- a nice reminder that many cops really care about protecting us and doing the right thing.
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Permalink Reply by Anika on
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How long does it usually take for someone from the crash hotline to get back to me? I've called over 24 hours ago but so far have had no response. I'd like to try to file a report again this afternoon. I know I have up to 10 days but the sooner the better IMO. And, I'd like to get my bike fixed and out of the shop. It is somewhat beastly and takes up lots of space.
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Permalink Reply by notoriousDUG on -
Go to the station NOW and demand to file report.
They do not need the VIN#, you are being run around to avoid work.
In the future always call 911 when in a serious accident.
Do it NOW, you have a limited amount of time to file a police report on the incident and then you are screwed. Without the police report the driver can deny it ever happened and the claim will be denied.
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