Injured Bicyclists in Florida By: Noah Coffers, Andrew Gilbert & Luke Bouillerce

The dangers of biking Riding a bicycle is very popular in Florida due to the pleasant year round weather we have. To this day Florida still remains the number one state where bicycling accidents occur. Floridians will continue to ride bikes. It is up to the people driving their cars to be more cautious of bicyclists on the side of the roads.

Hit at an Intersection Victim: Elayne Jackson Age: 62 years old Date of Accident: 02/29/12 Location of Accident: US 41 & Vanderbilt Beach Road No charges yet against the driver

The Accident Elayne Jackson was hit at the intersection of Vanderbilt Beach Road and US 41 by a Collier County work truck on February 29th. She was dragged across the busy intersection, coming to a rest underneath the back wheel of a trailer. The intersection is shown in the background image of the slide.

The Result of the Accident Elayne has a lacerated liver, a broken left tibia, nine broken ribs, and a broken right collarbone The road to recovery will be very long for her. She says that she is just thankful to be alive after the truck hit her.

Thoughts from the Vicitim Elayne says that bicycling is her passion and is extremely hopefully that she will be able to return soon. After the accident occurred she states that Everything became a blur. To this day Elayne still fights for safer roads.

Conclusion of the Accident Imagine if Elayne was not wearing her helmet at the time of the accident. She would most likely not be alive to tell her story. And if she did survive she would be facing many brain and head injuries due to not wearing her helmet. Elayne says she really doesnt know how she came out of it without a more serious injury or even death.

Hit & Run Bicycle Accident On an early September 2, 2013 morning Rob Lemon and his girlfriend Hilary Michalak were riding their bikes on the Memorial Causeway in Clearwater, FL. A vehicle hit the couple and sent them in the air, flying 50 feet apart from each other. The driver never stopped his vehicle and continued down the road.

Result of the Hit & Run Even though both victims were wearing helmets Rob Lemon died at St. Joseph's hospital in Tampa, FL While his girlfriend Hilary remained in a coma.

The Victim Rob Lemon, age 25

How to prevent Biking Accidents The #1 rule when riding a bike is to always wear a helmet. Get a front headlight for your bike. If you are riding a bike at night you will need some form of light source so cars can see you. Do not ride against traffic. Ride with the traffic. Don't ride on the sidewalks and remember to stay all the way to the left in the bike lane. When turning left or right signal that you are doing so with your hands.

Work cited Wink News. "Victim in North Naples bike accident thankful to be alive." Victim in North Naples bike accident thankful to be alive. 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. . "How to Not Get Hit by Cars." Bicycle Safety:. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .

Work Cited (Cont.) "Arrest made in fatal tandem-bicycle crash in Clearwater." Tampa Bay Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .