Kolkata: A 44-year-old CCTV trader riding to work was severely injured in a “dooring” accident in south Kolkata’s Garia after a woman passenger allegedly flung open the door of an app cab into the path of his motorcycle.Police booked both the cab driver and the passenger, a woman in her mid-40s from Suri, though she was not behind the wheel. Both have been charged under sections 281 (rash driving), 125(b) (endangering life or personal safety of others) and 324(4) (mischief causing damage) of the BNS.The victim, Shubanu Basu (44), a resident of Arabindapuram Abasan in Sonarpur’s Gazipur, remains immobilised after the Nov 1 crash. Doctors said basic recovery would take nearly a month and warned that three fingers on his right hand could suffer permanent damage despite multiple surgeries costing over Rs 2 lakh. He is still recuperating at the hospital.According to the FIR at Patuli PS, the crash occurred around 1.10 pm near 21, Milan Park. The cab driver allegedly stopped on a neighbourhood road without pulling over to the left. The passenger then suddenly opened the door, striking Basu’s bike. Basu was first taken to Baghajatin State General Hospital and later shifted to Peerless Hospital. His two-wheeler was badly damaged.Basu alleged the woman showed no remorse. “This woman had come in the cab from Howrah. Ahead of me, the driver stopped the car to the left inside the neighbourhood lane and asked the passenger to get off. Despite being warned by the driver, she flung open the right-side door. My bike hit the door and I was thrown 3-4 feet away. I landed on three fingers of my right hand along with the bike. The right hand was fractured besides injuries to my eye. As I fell, people from the adjoining flat came down and stopped the woman, who began blaming me for the accident. She even said that she was getting late for a Shradh ceremony,” Basu said.“She handed Rs 1,000 to me and asked me to get first aid. This led to locals getting agitated and they called cops. Finally, under pressure, the woman agreed to bear my health expenses. I was initially taken to Baghajatin hospital and from there to two other private hospitals before I underwent operation, including a plastic surgery. However, the danger of losing three fingers remain. The woman has now blocked her phone I was forced to inform the police, who registered an FIR,” he said.Investigators invoked charges against the passenger in line with a similar high-profile “dooring” crash earlier this year on Beleghata’s Raja Rajendralal Mitra Road, where a seven-year-old pillion rider Satvik Kundu, rider Parashar Saha and another pillion passenger suffered serious injuries after a parked car’s door was suddenly opened.Legal and traffic experts said that in such cases, primary liability rests on the person opening the door, who must check mirrors and blind spots to give oncoming riders a safe reaction window.
