The family of a cyclist who died after being struck by a city worker’s car door in Northern California is on the verge of winning a massive settlement of $2 million.
Steven Bassett, who was 70 at the time of his death, was biking in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco when a city employee opened the door to a parked car in May 2024.
He died twelve days later.
Following the incident, Bassett’s sister, Lisa Baker, filed a lawsuit against the city alleging that the worker was negligent and should have been aware of cyclists around the area.
“As a direct and legal result of the negligence, carelessness, and wrongful conduct set forth above, Mr. Bassett suffered what proved to be fatal injuries in the collision,” the plaintiff’s lawyer Spencer Pahike wrote in a lawsuit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The $1,975,000 settlement was recommended by the City Attorney David Chiu and Public Utilities Commission General Manager Dennis Herrera. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the issue in a few weeks.
After Bassett’s death, a vigil was hosted by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, an organization in which he was an active member
“We know from painful experience that dooring is one of the biggest dangers to people biking on unprotected infrastructure… We call on the city to require that all city employees who drive any kind of city vehicle be trained on safely navigating the streets with people who biking,” the coalition said in a statement released in 2024.
Aside from being an avid biker and big Giants fan, he was a big proponent of making biking easier for everyday transportation in the city.
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