Someone hit my open car door in a parking lot and now I can't turn my head — am I screwed?

Please go get checked out today — don't wait any longer. Neck stiffness that gets worse overnight after a trauma is exactly the kind of thing doctors need to see in person. It could be muscle strain, it could be something involving the cervical spine, and you genuinely cannot tell without imaging. The fact that you felt okay-ish at the scene and then woke up stiffer is actually super common with soft tissue injuries — adrenaline masks a lot. Go to an urgent care or ER, describe exactly what happened and what you're feeling, and let them document it. That documentation matters for everything that comes after, medically and otherwise.

Do NOT call that insurance company back without knowing your rights first. They are not calling you to help you. They want a recorded statement while you're still rattled and before you know the full extent of your injuries. Anything you say can get used to minimize your claim later. Let them leave a voicemail. You have time.

Almost the exact same thing happened to me in a grocery store lot — I checked, I opened my door, someone came flying through and bent it back. The other driver acted like I was the one who caused it. Having a witness made a massive difference for me. Don't underestimate that. Get that person's contact info in writing if you haven't already and make sure it's in the police report.

Former adjuster here. The "dooring" situation in parking lots is genuinely one of the more contested claim types because fault can be shared depending on the state. But a witness who voluntarily told police the driver was going too fast? That carries real weight. What adjusters look for is whether the door was open for an unreasonable amount of time AND whether the other driver had any chance to stop. If he was speeding through a lot, that shifts things considerably. Don't go into that first call unprepared.

A few practical things: get a copy of the police report as soon as it's available — usually a few days. Write down everything you remember right now while it's fresh: the sequence of events, exactly what the witness said, the time, the layout of the lot, how fast it felt like the truck was going. Take photos of your door damage if you haven't. And the medical piece is important — a gap between the accident and treatment can get used against you, so the sooner you go get evaluated the better the paper trail.

Not legal advice, but parking lot accidents with witnesses and a police report are absolutely worth at least a free consultation with a PI attorney before you talk to the other driver's insurance. Comparative fault rules vary a lot by state and can affect what you're entitled to even if you were mostly not at fault. Most personal injury attorneys do free consults and work on contingency so there's no upfront cost to just asking questions.