Bought my daughter her first decent bike helmet this afternoon, and ordered two for my youngest sons at the LBS. I asked my wife to go to the LBS and pick one out for herself as well. Last week we had finally given up on the freebies that a local hospital gave us when the kids were younger. I've always insisted that they wear helmets on bikes and scooters. I had been researching bike helmets for the past few days but worried about plunking down all of that money at once. Today, it became a priority.
I hadn't been riding regularly since I had meniscus surgery on my knee in March, but today I decided that I had to get out before it was too hot to ride. I need to start building back up to my commute. I wasn't planning to go far and didn't really have a route in mind other than to start down the Fox River Trail here in Appleton. Shortly after I left my neighborhood and entered the trail, I saw someone down on the trail and people gathered around him. Then I became aware of the siren in the distance. As I approached, one person was talking on a phone, another had gloves on and was holding a first aid kit.
The man on the ground wasn't moving. Nearest the cross street there was a wheel, then some of his hair, a man in his late 30's or 40's, his bike missing the front wheel, and his handlebar bag, all in a line stretching 30 feet. Blood pooled under his head and his eyes were slightly open but fixed, and he wasn't moving. The person in gloves said he had a pulse. The firefighters arrived first, stabalized his head, intubated him and began rescue breathing with a bag valve mask. The paramedics arrived next and added oxygen and a heart monitor, then put him on a back board. Shortly before moving him, one of the firefighters began compressions. That is when I began crying. I walked over to the bike bag when one of the firefighters began checking through it. He had no ID in his bag, 2 bibles, and some tools in a side pocket. I wondered if he was on his way home from an early morning bible study class. Soon, a police officer arrived and found the man's cell phone in the bag. They were not taking him to the nearest hospital, but to an area trauma center that has a helicopter.
It took me a while to collect myself after the rescue squad pulled away. I lingered while the firefighters picked up their belongings. The other bystanders asked the officer if he needed anything from them. He told them they could go. I knew what had happened. The front quick release was loose, and when he crossed the crown of the street the wheel came off. He must have been moving fairly fast, but we all know it doesn't take a lot of speed to go down hard when the front wheel looses traction, and he suddenly didn't have a front wheel. He wasn't wearing cleats so when the fork hit the ground there was nothing slowing his flight over the handlebars striking his head on the blacktop trail. Even with a helmet, that would have resulted in some serious injuries. And I began to think about what I was carrying. No wallet, no first aid, no ID. Just my cell phone. I always wear the helmet. And I thought about my wife's decades old helmet, my kids not having helmets, and none of them knowing how to do an ABC quick check. And I rode the short distance back home to reflect, and to make the purchase I had been procrastinating on. Tomorrow, my kids get a bike check clinic from me so they know more than to check their tires for air before they ride. They will wait to ride for a few days until the LBS gets their helmets we ordered. My wife and daughter get a road riding lesson as well. Meanwhile, I'll be wondering who the man is, and praying for him and his family.