Click To Call:

Liability in Dooring Accidents in Missouri

Dooring refers to a crash where someone in a parked car opens their door into the path of a bicyclist. These accidents happen fast and can leave the cyclist with serious injuries. Even when the rider is paying attention, thereโ€™s often no time to react.

Swerving at the last second can be just as dangerousโ€”some cyclists end up hit by passing traffic. These cases come up often in Missouri, especially on narrow roads where cars park close to the bike lane.

In a dooring accident in Missouri, the person who opened the door is typically liable, but the bicyclist could be at fault if they were were distracted, impaired, or breaking the law in some way when it happened.

Responsibility for a dooring accident in Missouri comes down to the specific facts, such as where it happened, how it happened, and what each person was doing before the crash.

How Open Door Accidents Occur

Open door accidents involving bicycles or motorcycles often happen in ways that are completely avoidable. These collisions usually occur when someone inside a parked vehicleโ€”either the driver or a passengerโ€”swings their door open into traffic without first checking for oncoming riders.

When that happens, a cyclist or motorcyclist riding close to parked cars suddenly has no time to stop or safely avoid the door, and the result is often a serious injury.

Common Causes of Open Door Accidents

Several actions can contribute to this kind of crash, many of which come down to simple carelessness. Here are some of the most frequent causes:

  • Failure to check for traffic โ€“ Anyone exiting a car should check their side mirrors and look behind them before opening the door. Riders are often harder to see than cars, which is why extra attention matters.
  • Illegal or rushed parking โ€“ If a driver pulls into a no-parking zone or stops along an active lane, they may open the door in a hurry without checking for a passing cyclist or motorcyclist.
  • Turning or merging close to parked cars โ€“ Riders often move closer to parked vehicles when making right turns or avoiding traffic, which increases the risk of dooring.
  • Cell phone use โ€“ Drivers or passengers distracted by texting or talking often open the door without checking their surroundings.
  • Swerving to avoid road hazards โ€“ If a cyclist veers suddenly to avoid a pothole or debris and hits a door that just opened, it can lead to serious injuries. In these cases, there might also be a claim against the agency responsible for road upkeep.

Why the โ€œDoor Zoneโ€ is So Dangerous

The door zone refers to the space alongside a parked car where a fully opened car door could reach. In most cases, this area stretches about three to five feet from the side of the vehicle, depending on the size of the door. Cyclists riding within this range are at risk of being hit if someone opens their door suddenly.

The danger isnโ€™t just the impact itselfโ€”a rider can be knocked into moving traffic, thrown off their bike, or suffer blunt force injuries.

Why Cyclists Canโ€™t Always Avoid It

Ideally, riders should stay at least five feet away from parked cars to steer clear of the door zone. This is often called the โ€œsafe zone.โ€ However, thatโ€™s not always possible. Narrow lanes, crowded streets, and poorly marked bike routes can force cyclists to ride closer than they should.

In those situations, even a careful cyclist may find themselves within reach of a swinging door without much warning.

Why It Matters in an Accident

When our experienced Missouri bicycle accident lawyers are evaluating what happened in a dooring crash, it helps to understand how much room the cyclist had to work with. If the road design or traffic patterns left no safe buffer, that may influence how responsibility is assessed.

Riders arenโ€™t always at fault just for being in the door zoneโ€”especially when they had no safe alternative.

Missouri Open Door Laws

Missouri has specific rules in place to help prevent dooring incidents, and these rules apply not just to drivers but to passengers as well:

According to RSMo Section 300.340, โ€œNo person shall open the door of a motor vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless and until it is reasonably safe to do so, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a motor vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.โ€

This law places a clear duty on anyone exiting a car to first make sure itโ€™s safe.

Whoโ€™s Protected by the Law

Although most people associate dooring with cyclists, the risk isnโ€™t limited to them. Missouriโ€™s open door law helps protect anyone who might be traveling alongside parked vehiclesโ€”this includes motorcyclists, moped users, pedestrians, joggers, and even drivers or passengers in moving vehicles.

A suddenly opened car door can cause serious harm, regardless of what type of road user is involved.

Consequences for Violating the Law

Opening a car door without checking for traffic doesnโ€™t just create a safety hazardโ€”it can also lead to legal consequences. A person who causes harm through careless dooring may face traffic citations, insurance penalties, civil lawsuits, or even criminal charges if the crash leads to serious injury or death.

Depending on the situation, the person responsible could also see their driverโ€™s license suspended, their job affected, or face long-term financial consequences from a resulting claim.

Liability for Open Door Car Accidents in Missouri

In Missouri, liability for dooring accidents often hinges on whether a motorist or passenger failed to exercise reasonable care and breached their duty to look for oncoming traffic before opening a door.

Why Motorists Usually Bear the Blame

Road usersโ€”including bicyclists and motorcyclistsโ€”have the right to share the road, especially in bike lanes and next to parked vehicles. Drivers and passengers must anticipate others using adjacent lanes, which means they must:

  • Recognize that parked cars border spaces riders need
  • Check blind spots before opening any door
  • Anticipate that opening a door without warning could cause injury

Because cyclists cannot reasonably expect someone inside a parked vehicle to suddenly fling a door open, any such action typically shifts liability to the person who opened the doorโ€”even if they were passengers rather than the driver. This duty of care applies whether parking legally or temporarily stopping in a travel lane.

Legal Duty and Negligence

A driver or passenger violating door laws and causing injury opens themselves to liability for the cyclistโ€™s recovery of medical costs, lost wages, pain and sufferingโ€”and in fatal cases, wrongful death.

Liability may even extend to other drivers who strike a cyclist trying to avoid a doorโ€”or if multiple parties acted negligently. To win a case, a cyclist must establish:

  • A duty of care existed (e.g., checking traffic before opening a door)
  • The motorist breached that duty
  • The breach directly caused the crash and injuries
  • The cyclist suffered measurable harm as a result

Shared Fault in Dooring Accidents

While drivers or passengers are often responsible for dooring crashes, the person who hits the open door may still share part of the blame in some situations. Missouri doesnโ€™t automatically treat the vehicle occupant as 100% liable. Instead, investigators look at whether the rider or driver could have avoided the crash under the circumstances.

One common issue is speed. If the person who hit the door was going too fast for the road or traffic conditions, that can count against them. Ridersโ€”whether on bikes, e-scooters, motorcycles, or even in other vehiclesโ€”have to travel at a safe speed based on what they can see ahead.

If slowing down would have given them enough time or space to avoid the door, their failure to do so might be considered negligent.

Another factor is the ability to take evasive action. If the road was wide enough or visibility was clear, and the person could have safely moved around the door but didnโ€™t, that may also be taken into account when assigning fault.

Missouri uses a system that can reduce or even eliminate compensation if youโ€™re found even slightly at fault, so these details can make or break a claim.

Thatโ€™s why itโ€™s critical to have an experienced lawyer review the facts and explain how Missouriโ€™s fault rules apply to your case. A skilled attorney can identify where blame is being unfairly placed and help gather the right evidence to push back.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Missouri Bicycle Accident Lawyers

If youโ€™ve been injured in a dooring accident anywhere in Missouri, Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers are here to help you understand your rights and pursue the compensation you may be owed. These crashes often leave victims with steep medical bills, lost income, and lasting pain, and proving fault isnโ€™t always easy.

Thatโ€™s why itโ€™s important to work with a firm that knows how to investigate the details, build strong cases, and stand up to insurance companies that try to shift the blame.

Weโ€™ve handled injury claims across the state, and weโ€™re ready to help you take the next step. Contact Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers today to schedule a free consultation and get answers about your case.

Some of the cities in Missouri where we have assisted bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorcycle riders injured in dooring accidents include St. Louis, O’Fallon, Jefferson City, Independence, Florissant, Springfield, and more.

Related Articles

Damages you can recover in a Missouri bicycle accident claim

Right-of-way laws in Missouri

What is the value of my bicycle accident claim in Missouri?