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: 1148
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on
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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
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+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
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+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 on
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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
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In the future with that much damage to both vehicles you NEED to call the police.
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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on
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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 Dragonborn on
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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 Lee Crandell on
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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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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 Doug Haynes on
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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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I was recently in a collision with a car and the responding EMTs would not wait around for the police to show up, saying they would take my info at the hospital - which as it turned out they never did. The following day, I went to the station on California south of Milwaukee and the desk officer was very kind in helping me file a report (which as others have said, did not require the car's VIN).
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I just wanted to update.
It took 3 attempts but I was finally able to file a report at the station on California. The officer helping me the 3rd time was polite and helpful. I followed up with the guy's insurance who hit us after I completed the police report. They filed my claim this afternoon and issued me a reimbursement for the full repair cost on my bike as well as additional money for pain and suffering.
In the future, this will hopefully not happen. But if it does, I know to call 911 whether we have injuries or not.
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