Sliding door locking mechanism

Hello all,

First let me admit that is was an incredibly dimwitted situation that I got into.

This is a '97 Econoline 150. I hooked up my dog's leashes to the U-shaped lock/latch on the body of the van where the side sliding door locks when you close it. I forgot to take the clip (carabiner) off the latch before slamming the door shut. I slid the door closed hard enough that it actually closed all the way. Needless to say, I cannot open the door. The outside handle didn't really work before and I always used the inside handle to open the door, but now it won't open at all. It seems as though the locking mechanism is probably jammed with the clip the leashes are attached to.

So, does anyone have any recommendation on how I can get the door open?

I tried kicking the door from the inside to push it outwards, but that didn't work. I haven't tried pulling in the inside latch and then trying to kick the door outwards.

I used the van as my race transport and camper since I race motorcycles, so I need to be able to open this door for access.

Obviously, any help would greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Reet