Doored While Riding a Bike in Utah: Who Pays?

Short answer: Usually the person who opened the door, and in most cases that means a claim against the car’s liability insurance. Utah law makes it illegal to open a car door into moving traffic unless it can be done safely. Your own auto policy may also pay some of your first medical bills, even though you were on a bike.

A dooring crash happens in a second. A parked car’s door swings open, there is no room to stop, and the rider hits the door or swerves into the traffic lane. The injuries are often worse than the speed suggests: a shoulder, wrist or collarbone from the impact, or a head injury from the fall. Here is how Utah law sorts out who pays.

The Rule on Opening Car Doors

Utah has a statute written for exactly this situation. A person may not open the door of a motor vehicle on a side available to moving traffic unless it can be done safely and without interfering with the movement of other traffic, and may not leave that door open longer than necessary to load or unload passengers (Utah Code 41-6a-1704).

Two things about that rule matter for a claim. First, it applies to “a person,” not only the driver. A passenger who flings open a rear door is under the same duty. Second, a bicycle is “other traffic.” A person riding a bicycle has all the rights of the operator of any other vehicle under Utah’s traffic code (Utah Code 41-6a-1102). Opening a door into a cyclist’s path is the kind of interference the statute prohibits.

“The Cyclist Was Riding Too Close to Parked Cars”

This is the argument insurers make most often in dooring cases, and Utah law gives you an answer to it. A cyclist moving slower than traffic generally rides as near as practicable to the right-hand edge of the roadway, but the statute lists exceptions. A rider may move away from the edge when reasonably necessary to avoid conditions that make it unsafe to stay there, including parked or moving vehicles, surface hazards, and a lane too narrow for a bicycle and a car to travel safely side by side (Utah Code 41-6a-1105(1)(d)).

In other words, the law does not require you to ride in the door zone. If you were further from the parked cars, you were within your rights. If you were close to them, the question becomes whether the person opening the door could have looked first, which is almost always yes.

Drivers who pass cyclists also have duties. A motorist may not knowingly, intentionally or recklessly drive within three feet of a person on a bicycle (Utah Code 41-6a-706.5). That matters in the second kind of dooring crash, where the rider swerves around the door and is hit by a passing car. In that case there may be two careless people, and two insurance policies, involved.

Whose Insurance Pays

The car’s liability policy

A Utah owner’s auto policy must cover the named insured and anyone using the car with the owner’s permission, for liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the car (Utah Code 31A-22-303(1)(a)(ii)). In a dooring crash the claim usually goes to that policy, although whether a particular incident counts as “use” of the car can turn on the policy wording. When a passenger opened the door, whether the owner’s policy covers the passenger can depend on the policy language, and the passenger may have a policy of their own. It is worth asking for both.

For policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, the minimum bodily injury limit is $30,000 per person (Utah Code 31A-22-304). A broken collarbone that needs surgery can exceed that quickly.

Your own auto policy, even though you were on a bike

Many cyclists do not realize their own car insurance may help. Utah’s personal injury protection (PIP) statute covers the named insured “when injured in an accident involving any motor vehicle,” and household relatives of the insured on the same terms (Utah Code 31A-22-308(1)-(2)). PIP pays regardless of fault: at least $3,000 in medical expenses, plus 85% of lost gross income up to $250 a week for up to 52 weeks (Utah Code 31A-22-307). Whether a particular dooring crash qualifies under a particular policy is a question to put to your insurer in writing.

There is a trade-off. A person who has PIP coverage generally cannot sue for pain and suffering unless the injury crosses Utah’s threshold: more than $3,000 in medical expenses, a broken bone, permanent disability or impairment, permanent disfigurement, dismemberment or death (Utah Code 31A-22-309(1)). Many dooring injuries meet that threshold because of a fracture alone. For more on how PIP works, see Is Utah a no-fault state?

Your underinsured motorist coverage

If the person who opened the door has only minimum limits and your injuries are serious, check your own policy for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. We explain how that works in underinsured motorist claims in Utah.

Shared Fault

Utah compares fault. If you are found partly responsible, say for riding at night without a light, your recovery is reduced by your percentage, and you recover from a defendant only if the fault of those you are claiming against is greater than yours (Utah Code 78B-5-818). In a straightforward dooring crash, the person who opened the door usually carries most or all of the blame, but expect the insurer to look for something to put on the rider.

What to Do After Being Doored

• Get the name, phone number and insurance of the person who opened the door, and of the car’s owner if that is someone else. People often apologize at the scene and are harder to reach later.
• Call the police so there is a report. You can request it afterward; our guide to getting a Utah police crash report explains how.
• Photograph the car, the door, where it was parked, and where you ended up. Door damage and scuff marks help show how far the door was open.
• Keep the bike, helmet and clothing as they are. Do not have the bike repaired until it has been photographed.
• Look for cameras. Businesses, doorbell cameras and bus stops along the street may have caught it, but footage is often recorded over within days.
• Get medical care the same day, and tell the provider exactly how it happened.

Deadlines

Most Utah injury claims must be filed within four years (Utah Code 78B-2-307(4)). If the door belonged to a government vehicle, such as a city truck or a police car, a written notice of claim is due within one year (Utah Code 63G-7-402). See our page on the Utah personal injury statute of limitations for the details. For the broader picture of bike crash claims, read bicycle accident claims in Utah.

Talk to a Utah Bicycle Accident Attorney

Dooring claims often involve more than one insurer and a quick fight over where the rider was. If you were hurt, we can sort out which policies apply. Our Draper bicycle accident lawyers represent riders across the state.

Hurt in Utah? Call (801) 921-5134 or send us your case for a free consultation. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español.