Your ‘image’ is not what the article said.
“...with the driver’s door facing the eastbound traffic lanes.
The article just said the truck wound up on the median, not how far onto the median. She could have been right on the edge of median, with her door opening right into traffic.
Would you get out right into traffic?
Sure sounds like that’s what she was afraid of. Remember she’s 75.
"Her truck spun around and wound up on the median, with the driver's door facing the eastbound traffic lanes."
What I wrote: The image I have is that when her truck came to rest on the median, it was oriented N/S, with the doors oriented E/W.
Translated for you: When the truck came to rest, it's front faced north, and the drivers door faced west - towards E/B traffic. In other words - "facing the east bound traffic lanes." Like the article said!
"The article just said the truck wound up on the median, not how far onto the median. She could have been right on the edge of median, with her door opening right into traffic."
"Would you get out right into traffic?"
If the vehicle was partially on the median, with the doors in the active traffic lane, she would be getting right into traffic no matter which door she opened.