Ricky Ross— Los Angeles, California

It was Nov of 96, San Francisco...

I was on my way to rehearsal at Planet X studios on Folsom st (no longer there). I was on Valencia and made a right onto 16th, 5 seconds after I made that right a car door opened and wrenched the handlebars right out from under me. I went flying and landed with my legs and feet in the street.

A car came and ran over my right foot and part of my lower leg, I watched it happen from street level; it ripped my sneaker right off.

Talk about instant pain; it felt as if my leg had been dipped in boiling oil, the pain seemed to stick to my leg like hot wax. This all happened in front of a bar right next to alleyway called Randal. A bunch of Mexican guys came out from the bar and picked me up off the street and placed me on the sidewalk. Someone got a milk crate to elevate my leg; and they talked to me to make sure I didn't go into shock or have some bad trip from the accident.

In the ambulance I called the band to tell 'em I wasn't gonna make it to practice that night. No broken bones, just major tendon/ligament and soft tissue damage. The doc said it would have been much easier if I just broke the bones, they could fuse 'em together and voila...new bones, but it takes much longer and it's much more complicated with tendon/ligament injuries.

The person who ran me over made it seem like it was my fault and she got away with it. Her insurance company said there was no way they were gonna pay; we would have to go to court and since I did not have a light on my bike, forget about it, I was gonna lose. I did get some dough from the person who doored me; he was a pretty decent guy about the whole thing, he called me later on that night to see how I was doing and to apologize.

I learned a lot from that accident; always use a light at night, always keep your eye on parked cars and always assume that every door will open into you and that people don't see you and don't care.

Anonymous Craigslist post, San Francisco

The following is an anonymous response to a posting I made yesterday on Craigslist (SF, Politics discussion forum) regarding the danger Car Doors pose to Cyclists. Thank goodness the majority of car drivers don't think the same way this "Liberal" does. —Jerry


RE:Car Door Politics

car door deathtrap
Reply to: see below
Date: 2005-03-15, 5:45PM PST


i dig bikes, they don't burn gasoline and they are quiet

but

here in SF
bike riders don't follow the rules of traffic game...jumping lights, changing lanes or turning
without signalling...yadayada

so
here's my warning...if you are not following the rules of the road and you
get in my way...
boom...
if you are riding and I am opening my car door
boom

bike riders beware
even liberals have had enough

follow the rules of the road
or
consider yourself fair game...

Anonymous, Oxford Brookes University, England

Getting Doored...

Had my first and only experience of being doored today.
When I first moved to Oxford I thought it was a really bike friendly town,
and yes, it has more cyclists and cycle lanes than most UK town, but that
doesn't save us from the almighty door attack!

I was riding up St Clements up towards Headington hill on the green cycle
lane, the traffic was at a stand still waiting for the light to change.
All of a sudden someone opened their car door right in front of me. I
could almost see it open in slow motion. I think my front wheel hit the
door, and I tumbled over the bike and onto the pavement. Luckily I ended
up on the pavement with a bruised leg and slightly mangled knee. The two
guys in the car were super apologetic, and offered to drive me home or to
A&E but I didn't think it was necessary. ( I should have got someone's number,
because i now have to repair my bike!)

Apart from hobbling round for the next few days I'm fine, but I recognise I've got away lucky as hell. It's amazing when you talk to people, even people who don't cycle, how many of them either know someone, or know someone who knows someone who's been harmed or killed by getting doored.
This really needs to be be more universally acknowledged as a serious issue.

-- Anonymous Cyclist from Oxford Brookes University, England