getting hit by a swiftly opening door - whose fault is it?

[dense]

One day, as i was leaving the public toilet at my university , i opened the door very strongly / swiftly. The door opens outward. There was a guy standing just outside and he complained to me about that i had to be more careful and almost hit him with the door.

The door was not transparent, so there was no way of seeing if there was anybody behind the door.

Whose responsibility is it to make sure that the door doesn't hit anybody?

As i kept observing on the matter, i noticed that many other people as well open the door very quickly. I also see young mothers with their baby buggies walking dangerously close past closed doors that could at any time be opened swiftly and cause severe damage.

[vizzle]

Both people should be aware that there are other people in the world. The guy shouldn't be standing so close to the door without opening it yet (you walk towards it with your hand out so that there's space between you and the door, I thought this is something we figure out in preschool), and the guy on the inside shouldn't be opening it so brusquely.

[poser765]

Shit happens. Sometimes no one is at fault for said shit.

[MasterHamster]

I don't think it's anyone's fault... or both.
You can't open a door that quickly, but it's not like you can assume that someone's standing near it.
If you stand near a door that opens towards you, it's not really unexpected, is it?

[Deleted]

That of the person who stands close to a door that opens in their direction.

Why would you stand that close to a door that it can hit you if opened?

[poser765]

If you stand near a door that opens towards you, it's not really unexpected, is it?

Sure it can be. They have a word for people who are always vigilente and on guard for the unexpected...who tirelessly pay attention to everything around them. Borg.

[Deleted]

Both need to be aware. The one pushing the door needs better manners and should not push doors open really hard, the one about to open it needs to learn not to stand so close.

[Agrias-Oaks]

I personally don't open doors that opens away from me quickly, especially ones that has no windows or isn't full glass. You have to realize that sometimes, people don't only walk towards a door with the intention of opening it, some people would pass by a door also. You can argue that you shouldn't walk so close to a door anyway, well sometimes the hallway or whatever space isn't that big, and it doesn't hurt to just not jerk the door open.

[poser765]

You know this happens so seldom it's really not an issue. Also the way MOST normal people open doors isn't really that much of a threat...unless Kramer is on the other side.

[King Shark]

Sure it can be. They have a word for people who are always vigilente and on guard for the unexpected...who tirelessly pay attention to everything around them. Borg.

Or a Terminator, or Robocop, or some other such cybernetic organism; or maybe they're paranoid; or maybe, just maybe, they are readily alert to their surroundings. Turns out caution, alertness, and continuous awareness of one's surrounding is a trait not limited to fictional cyborgs and crazy militants constantly hyped up on LSD. Not saying I'm militant.

[Katchii]

Everyone knows a door needs to open for people to move through it. If you're the dummy who either purposely or by accident stands next to a door that can open and hit you, that's your fault. The people opening the door are only doing what is required to get through it.

[Roose]

Keep your head on a swivel.

[Deleted]

Or a Terminator, or Robocop, or some other such cybernetic organism; or maybe they're paranoid; or maybe, just maybe, they are readily alert to their surroundings. Turns out caution, alertness, and continuous awareness of one's surrounding is a trait not limited to fictional cyborgs and crazy militants constantly hyped up on LSD. Not saying I'm militant.

Everybody gets tired and drops their guard eventually, this is why others around you also need to be aware.

[Agrias-Oaks]

Everyone knows a door needs to open for people to move through it. If you're the dummy who either purposely or by accident stands next to a door that can open and hit you, that's your fault. The people opening the door are only doing what is required to get through it.

they keyword int his situation is how the OP opened the door swiftly, which is basically just another way of saying he probably kicked it open. Which is hardly "required".

[Deleted]

Everyone knows a door needs to open for people to move through it. If you're the dummy who either purposely or by accident stands next to a door that can open and hit you, that's your fault. The people opening the door are only doing what is required to get through it.

You have to realise that someone may WALK close to a door.

[Deleted]

I'd say both.

If you don't know which way a door opens (you're speaking of the door as if it lead to outside, most doors leading to outside open inwards rather then outward for a reason) you're not going to assume it's dangerous. Sometimes you don't even know there's a door with some full glass buildings.
As for the one opening the door, they can't know someone is on the other side either.

So, there's a bit of blame in the person opening the door too fast but also in the person not being attentive enough and getting hit by it.

[Darsithis]

Both people. Should open doors slower just in case and he obviously shouldn't stand up against a door that is clearly occupied :P

[belfpala]

Everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings, so both people are at fault. But I'd say the one opening the door hard/fast is more at fault. He's the one who initiated an action that a reasonable person would understand might cause harm to something/someone.

[Reeve]

I'd say the fault lies more with the person who stood/walked too close to the door that opens outwards, but the person opening the door should probably open it slowly enough that a person could reasonably dodge the opening door if they'd been distracted. Either way,if the person gets hit by the door, a simple apology should do and people should move on with their day.

[King Shark]

Everybody gets tired and drops their guard eventually, this is why others around you also need to be aware.

Pfft, not when you're on LSD you don't. My- yo- a random hypothetical person on LSD would never drop their guard. Hallucinations are a meager price for the piece of mind of not being hit by doors. Or being surprised by George's secret NASA Ninja Force.

Won't be happening again, no sir.