Boy suffers scrapes after bicycle accident; second in less than 24 hours involving school children
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 08/22/2013 - 10:36am
A young boy riding his bicycle received some road rash, bruises and scratches Thursday morning after he was struck by a car near the intersection of Carson and Robinson streets in Carson City. The 12-year-old boy was wearing a bicycle helmet, a Carson City sheriff's officer said.
The boy's mother arrived at the accident scene and took him to the hospital to treat the road rashes and scratches, family members said. The boy was struck by a vehicle as he was riding his bicycle through the crosswalk, according to the officer.
It was the second bicycle accident involving a young person in less than 24 hours. On Wednesday a 15-year-old teenager, who wasn't wearing a helmet, was struck by a car near Fifth Street and Saliman Road.
With this being the first week of school, Cortney Bloomer, Western Nevada Safe Routes to School Coordinator at Carson City Health and Human Services, urges parents to make sure their children have bicycle helmets when riding and to make sure their children know and understand the rules of the road. Even though in Nevada cars are supposed to yield to pedestrians and cyclists walking in crosswalks, it is not safe to assume that automobiles are going to stop. “Pedestrians need to make sure motorists see them. They should stop, look both ways, and wait for a safe opportunity before stepping into the street."
"I'm thrilled this young person today was wearing a helmet though I wish they wouldn't have been riding in the crosswalk. Walking is the right thing to do in crosswalks," said Bloomer.
Carson City Schools offer pedestrian and bicycle safety lessons as part of physical education classes, but those classes usually take place in the spring. Bloomer emphasized the need for parents to teach their children about safety before allowing them to walk or bike to school. “We want children to walk or bike to school. It’s a great way to be physically active, it’s fun for kids, and research even shows that it can improve academic performance. But we want to make sure that if they are walking or biking, they are doing so safely.” One of the best ways to instill safe behaviors in children is to model it for them. “This is a great time to walk to and from school with your child, or coordinate with other parents in the neighborhood to escort kids to school while they learn the rules of the road.”
The Western Nevada Safe Routes to School Program and the Nevada DOT have teamed up to offer free helmets to children if they don't already have one. "We don't want children to go without a helmet because of financial concerns," she said. "If a parent cannot afford a helmet we want to give them a helmet for free." Call (775) 887-2190 or drop by the health department at 900 E. Long St. Carson City.
For more information on bicycle safety, see the flier below offered by Musclepowered.org.
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