A cyclist in his 80s suffered serious injuries including multiple fractures after a car door was opened into his path last month, police reporting that it “was believed to be a deliberate act”.

The elderly rider was seriously injured in the incident in Sowerby Bridge last month, which happened as he was filtering past queuing traffic at around 11am on Wednesday 28 January.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries, including multiple fractures.

The rider in his 80s had been riding an electric bike towards Copley on Wakefield Road when the incident occurred, the vehicle involved described as “queuing traffic”, not a parked car as might be expected in the most common ‘dooring’ incidents. A spokesperson for the police force investigating said it “was believed to be a deliberate act” and officers are now seeking witnesses or footage of what happened.

“We are appealing for any witnesses or dashcam footage following an incident in Sowerby Bridge in which a cyclist suffered serious injuries,” a West Yorkshire Police statement said.

“It happened at around 11am on Wednesday 28 January on Wakefield Road, with the victim, a man in his 80s, travelling towards Copley on an electric bicycle. The victim was travelling past queuing traffic when it was reported that a car door was opened onto him in what was believed to be a deliberate act. He was knocked from his bike and taken to hospital with multiple fractures.

“Officers from Halifax CID are continuing to investigate and are appealing for anyone with information about this incident to contact them. You can contact West Yorkshire Police online at https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/LiveChat or by calling 101 quoting reference 13260054611. Alternatively, call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

According to Cycling UK, within Great Britain more than 500 cyclist casualties a year are recorded as due to dooring – although the charity adds that with many incidents going unreported, the true figure is likely to be much higher. While the majority of cases result in the cyclist sustaining minor injuries, in some instances a driver or passenger opening a car door without checking to see if a rider is approaching can result in very serious injury or death.

> Dooring – What is it, what does the law say and what should you do if it happens to you while cycling?

Of course, the most concerning factor about the incident West Yorkshire Police is now investigating is the fact that the force has stated that it is believed that the incident was deliberate. The vast majority of ‘dooring’ cases reported on this website are those that involve doors of parked vehicles being opened into riders’ paths due to a lack of care, not with intent to cause harm.

In 2024, a cyclist died in hospital four days after a crash in Rolvenden in Kent, the county’s police force at the time confirming that the rider had been hit by the open door of a stationary car and the driver who opened it had not faced action for their involvement in the incident.

The fatality prompted the cyclist’s family to urge motorists to adopt the Dutch Reach technique when opening vehicle doors. Recommended in the Highway Code, the technique invented in the Netherlands involves motorists opening vehicle doors using their hand furthest from the door, encouraging a body turn and addressing a blind spot to avoid opening the door into oncoming traffic, especially vulnerable cyclists.