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Dooring—-the unexpected opening of a car door in the path of a bike—-can be the bane of urban cyclists. Now one biker who says he was injured when a taxi door opened in front of him is suing the driver, the cab company—-and the federal government.
Eastern Market resident Micah Dammeyer was headed north on 1st Street NE on May 18, 2010, according to his lawsuit, when his path was suddenly blocked by an open cab door. Dammeyer went flying over his handlebars and landed on his head, injuring his chest, head, and neck, according to court documents.
Dammeyer’s lawsuit, filed yesterday, names cab driver Abdullahi M. Horri and cab company United Transit, Inc. as defendants. He’s also suing the federal government because the cab’s passenger worked for the Department of Homeland Security. Attempts to reach Horri and United Transit failed, while the Department of Justice declined to comment. Dammeyer’s lawyer hasn’t responded to a request for comment.
To add insult to (literal) injury, Capitol Police found Dammeyer in the hospital after his injury and ticketed him for trying to pass the cab on the right, according to the WashCycle blog.
Bike photo by Shutterstock.