Cyclist sent to hospital after 'dooring' incident involving Victoria police officer

The cyclist was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a Victoria police officer opened the door of his police vehicle into the rider's path. (Josh Hylden)

Victoria police are investigating after one of their officers opened the door of his parked cruiser into a passing cyclist, knocking the rider to the ground and sending him to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The "dooring" incident happened at approximately 9:15 a.m. Thursday in the 900-block of Esquimalt Road in Esquimalt, B.C.

The Victoria Police Department says the officer provided immediate medical aid to the injured cyclist and called for an ambulance, as well as additional officers, including a supervisor, to attend.

In 2020, the B.C. government increased the traffic fine for dooring a cyclist from $81 to $368, saying it hoped the increase would make drivers more aware of the dangers of opening a car door without first checking for cyclists.

"Dooring can kill or severely injure a person," Spencer Chandra-Herbert, MLA for Vancouver-West End, said when the new fines were announced.

"Making the offence of dooring equivalent to distracted driving and excessive speeding offences in terms of the fine is another step to keeping our more vulnerable road users safe."

VicPD traffic officers continue to investigate the collision, with oversight from the department's professional standards section.

The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has also been notified of the incident, according to the department.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has video of the incident is asked to contact Victoria police at 250-995-7654.