Yale Cyclist Received $205,000 For Cycling Injuries

On Sept. 28, 2015, a Yale University college professor who was injured while riding her bicycle to work on March 27, 2013, was awarded $205,000 as a result of her injuries. The injury occurred on March 27, 2013, on Sachem Street in New Haven, Connecticut, at approximately 10:59 a.m. The cyclist was riding her bike in a westerly direction, near the Peabody Museum, when a motorist parked alongside the northwestern side of the road unexpectedly opened his door into her path of travel. The cyclist, while wearing a helmet, was knocked unconscious when she crashed into the car door. After being transported by ambulance to Yale-New Haven Hospital, the cyclist was eventually discharged, but later suffered chronic jaw pain, for which surgery was eventually recommended.

The attorney for the cyclist, John “Jack” Mills, of Mills & Cahill, LLC, in New Haven, was quoted as saying: “We were very pleased we were able to resolve this case at the start of trial, and our client was extremely satisfied with the result. New Haven is a great place to cycle, but many of our streets are lined with parked cars, and even when keeping a vigilant lookout, a suddenly opened car door is always a hazard for someone riding a bike, even in designated bike lane. We hope motorists will take the time to check their side-view mirror before opening their doors, but that does not always happen.”