Our client was an Olympic hopeful marathoner, who was bike-commuting in Richmond when a parallel parked driver opened her door right in front of him. He went over the handlebars and broke his collarbone. The defendant carried a $100,000 insurance policy.
Liability was clear in this incident. Our client was commuting to work on a road that had a dedicated bicycle space and he was within that space. The defendant was exiting from their parked vehicle and opened the door without properly checking their rearview mirror beforehand. Unfortunately, they opened the door at the exact time that our client was passing by. His bike slammed into the car door, sending him over the handlebars and over the door. Our client walked his bike home from the scene of the crash and took himself to a Patient First. He was diagnosed with a displaced fracture of the left clavicle. His arm was placed in a sling, and he was given hydrocodone. He was then referred to OrthoVA for further care.
The bone had to be surgically repaired with 13 screws and a plate. He eventually made a remarkable recovery and was better within about four months.
Because of the crash, he was unable to participate in an important qualifier for the Olympic Marathon Trials.
This case settled for $90,000.