Look, or It Might Cost You: Insurance Pays $800,000 to Doored Cyclist

While the Chicago Police Department issued no citation to the driver who doored Bridgid Mullen on Southport Avenue in April, 2010, she will be compensated for her injuries. Mullen has now received an $800,000 settlement from the driver's insurance company, reports the Lincoln Park Patch.

Mullen was biking to work on Southport when she was doored. She broke her left arm and suffered permanent nerve damage, according to the Patch.

Attorney Matt Siporin represented Mullen in court. He said that the police didn't issue a citation to the driver and failed to even properly identify the victim as a cyclist in the crash report. "The only mention of dooring," Siporin said, "is that, 'In summary, pedestrian was riding southbound when Unit 2 opened door causing pedestrian to hit car door.'"

Bicyclists are ubiquitous in this part of Lakeview, a major shopping and restaurant area. And the driver had biked on that street, knew there was a bike lane there, and was parked for several minutes before opening the car door. But according to Siporin, the defendant told the court she "didn't have to turn my head and look."

It's possible, but not certain, that the driver's insurance premiums will rise. Even if the driver doesn't personally incur higher costs, the payout is so large that the insurance company will definitely take notice. "Every company is different," said Siporin. "When an insurance company pays out this kind of money, it would impact rates as a whole, for all their customers. Whether it directly impacts just this driver may not be the case. The insurance company needs to recoup this money somehow."

Siporin said his firm, the Law Offices of Richard Pullano, is representing a couple of other cyclists. "There are a lot of new bike lanes going in, especially near our offices [in the Loop] and where I live in River North, and people are not as cognizant that there are so many more bicyclists on the road," he said.