Cyclist v. Driver and Passenger Car Doors 2012

When the driver and passenger of an SUV parked on a busy NE Portland neighborhood bikeway and suddenly swung open their vehicle doors, they collided with a 50-year-old cyclist and small business owner who was out on a weekend leisure ride. The cyclist suffered a surgical fracture of her right index finger and sustained a concussion, disabling her for several months from her hand-on work in her restoration business and from playing stringed instruments in her free time. TCNF partner Cynthia Newton obtained a settlement valued at $164,926.51 before the suit was filed and persuaded the cyclist’s own automobile insurance carrier to waive its right to reimbursement of $48,245.27 in PIP medical and wage loss benefits paid on the cyclist’s behalf, increasing the amount of her tax free take home recovery.