Had a similar problem...

although no where near as complicated as yours. Knob broke in the closed position. I had to disassemble it which required some finesse and a chisel but still not as bad as your situation.

Put one of those new, (new to me anyway), knobs you can simply push to open the door. GREAT for reentering the house (it was the door into the garage) with an armful of stuff. - JamesJM