Mr Selfridge actor doors cyclist in Los Angeles

A cyclist in Los Angeles needed to have stitches in a cut in his chest after Jeremy Piven, the star of the ITV series Mr Selfridge, opened his car door without looking, causing the rider to crash.

TMZ reports that the victim, a 44-year-old male had to be taken to hospital by ambulance following the incident, which happened near The Grove shopping mall.

The website added that police sources confirmed that Piven, who was at the wheel of his Cadillac, was believed to have been at fault.

However they said the 50-year-old, who also starred in the US TV series Entourage, had not received a ticket since officers did not see the incident.

According to TMZ, which said it had tried to contact Piven without receiving a reply as yet, a civil suit is likely to follow.

Opening the door of a car or other vehicle when moving traffic is present is governed by California's Vehicle Code, which says:

No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and can be done without interfering with the movement of such traffic, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.