Leo Gillick
Every year, more than 1,000 cyclists are killed on the roads of the US. Due to quick thinking and combined strength, a 14-year-old boy avoided becoming a statistic after he was run over while biking in Florida.
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While riding his e-bike to the first day of school, a driver of a Kia Soul ran the 14-year-old over. The young man was cycling east along Howland Boulevard on the sidewalk. As he crossed Roble Lane, the car hit him, pulling him under and dragging him around 15 feet down the road.
When the car finally came to a stop, the boy was still trapped underneath the vehicle. Not wanting to cause more damage, the driver left the car where it was. It was the heroics of the local bystanders that saved the biking 14-year-old from under the Kia.
Bystanders Save Biking Boy
The boy was thankfully wearing a helmet when he was hit by the vehicle. He remained conscious underneath the car. Bystanders rushed over to help him out. They combined their strength and were able to lift the entire car off the boy, moving him to safety.
He was then airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. Here, he is in a stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. It was largely due to the strength and heroics of the bystanders at the crash.
The 14-year-old was lucky to get away with being knocked off his bike by the vehicle. Cycling on public roads is always a treacherous mode of transport. No matter how cycle-safe a city is, there are always going to be hazards when bikes and cars share space.
The young man was wearing a helmet, which, in many cases, can save a life. An arm or leg can be fixed if it gets broken. But a brain will never be the same again. It’s important to wear a skid lid, even on the shortest of cycles.
Being run over by a car while biking will be a memory that sticks with this 14-year-old forever. Hopefully, he will get back on a bike, but he will always be cautious.
