It happened to me

I got doored

I was riding in a bike lane when the car door opened, about as far from my face as this magazine is from yours. Though the impact of crashing into the door tossed me into the middle of Damen Avenue, I walked away with just fractured and dislocated bones in my right hand. My pinky looked like an M.C. Escher drawing. I had to hit the ER for several X-rays, then visit an orthopedist to get a cast and even more X-rays. Of course, being American, I didn’t have insurance. So, being American, I got a lawyer. He was able to postpone my medical bills with an attorney’s lien, and he went after the driver’s insurance company. I couldn’t afford representation, but you can get an attorney to work on contingency, which means they take a cut of your insurance award, rather than payment upfront. The whole thing felt a little Judge Judy, but I owed a couple thousand dollars in medical bills, so I got over it. About two years later, I got my settlement—enough to pay all the bills, get a new bike and, between you and me, go on vacation.

—Jonathan Messinger