Top: Home Page
Up: Cambridge bicycle facilities and program


The Dana Laird crash

On July 2, 2002, cyclist Dana Laird was riding in a  bicycle lane on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA when a car door opened in front of her. She swerved in an attempt to avoid the opened door, apparently struck the door, fell under a passing transit bus and was killed. Here is a table of contents for information about the crash, its coverage in the media, and car door crashes in general.

About the Dana Laird fatality: what happened and what lessons it holds.

Media coverage

Critique of Boston Globe article by John S. Allen
Critique of Boston Herald article
by John S. Allen
Letter to the Globe from Paul Schimek
(not published).
Boston Phoenix interview with John S. Allen
(on Phoenix site)
Boston Phoenix article about bike lanes (on Phoenix site)

Statement by the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition's Executive Director

Bicycle Transportation Institute press release

Survey of research into car-door collisions

Top: Home Page
Up: Cambridge bicycle facilities and program