No one ever wants to see a child be seriously injured in an accident. No matter how severe the injury is, it’s every parent’s worst nightmare when it’s their child who gets hurt. Children in California are taught from an early age how to ride bicycles to get to and from school safely. Sometimes, however, a child can ignore the rules of the road and get themselves into serious trouble.
That may have been what happened last week in an accident involving a young bicyclist and a motorist. The Santa Ynez Valley Star reports that a 13-year old boy on a bicycle suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a vehicle in Los Alamos on Wednesday, April 10th.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said in a statement that the accident happened at approximately 7:30 a.m. in the area of an on ramp to Highway 101, located at the junction of Highway 135.
The boy had been riding his bicycle against the flow of traffic when the motorist the CHP identified as Karen Nielsen, 50 attempted to make a right-hand turn. During the process of turning her vehicle, she struck the boy. The impact knocked the 13-year-old who attends a nearby elementary school from his bicycle, injuring him.
The CHP indicated that the boy hadn’t been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The child was taken to an area hospital for treatment and was listed in serious condition.
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Faculty and staff at the boy’s school, Olga Reed Elementary, are concerned but remain optimistic. Principal Joe Dana said that he and other members of the school staff worry about the students. School administrators believe this may be an excellent opportunity to stress to students the importance of pedestrian and bicycle safety and keeping themselves and others safe.
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