Boy learns bicycle safety lesson

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

Timing is everything, and the timing for 4-year-old Kevin Peasley of Burns to learn about the importance of bicycle helmets couldn’t have been better.

On Saturday, May 31, Kevin and his parents, Kenny and Penny Peasley, attended the health fair at the Harney County Fairgrounds sponsored by Harney District Hospital (HDH). While there, Kevin was fitted for a bicycle helmet by Kim Perlot of the Harney County Safe Kids and Safe Communities Coalition.
Two weeks later, on Father’s Day, Kevin surprised his dad by riding his bike without training wheels. “We worked every day on riding so he could surprise Kenny,” Penny said.

The family was taking bike rides together every day after that, and every day Kevin wore his helmet.

On Wednesday, June 25, the family rode their bikes to the hospital, where Penny works. Kenny and Kevin then headed down the hill on North Grand, on their way to Hines. “Going down the hill, Kenny kept telling him to use his brakes and go slow,” Penny said. “Then Kevin started to wobble a bit, then he was wobbling a little more, then he crashed, and nothing hit the ground but his face.”

The impact left Kevin with swollen and bloody lips, but without a helmet on, it could’ve been much worse. “Kevin had some bruising on his forehead where the helmet was,” Penny said. “The helmet looked like a piece of Styrofoam that hit a brick, and it was cracked in the back.”

Because Penny had gone into the hospital, she didn’t see the crash, but Kenny called her right away, and she hurried down the hill to the scene. They then took Kevin up to the hospital to have him checked out.

The attending physician, Dr. Holland Haynie, said the helmet probably saved Kevin’s life. “The impact was to the front of the helmet, and it performed as it was designed, to distribute the impact,” Haynie said.
He explained that because the helmets are built for a single impact, they need to be treated with care, and inspected after a crash. “If kids maybe throw their helmets on the sidewalk or driveway, that could jeopardize the integrity of the helmet,” he said.

Haynie said he spent some time working at the Cincinnati (Ohio) Children’s Hospital, and a number of the more serious injuries were caused by bicycle accidents. “The kids weren’t wearing a helmet or their helmet didn’t fit properly, and head injuries can be devastating,” he said. “If they’re not wearing a helmet appropriately, it won’t come between the child’s head and the ground.”

Shortly after the crash, the Peasleys went to Burns City Hall, where Perlot works, to get a new bicycle helmet for Kevin.

“If a person brings a helmet in that’s broken or cracked, we’ll replace it for free,” Perlot said. “And we do have helmets available for just $2.50.” She added that they have two different styles in a variety of colors.

Perlot said she remembered fitting Kevin at the health fair and stressed the importance of having a helmet fit properly. She pointed out that the straps’ triangles need to fit over the ears, there should be no more than one to two fingers width of slack under the chin when fastened and the helmet needs to fit around the head, not sit on top of it.

“You see kids wearing a helmet over a baseball cap, or without the straps buckled, and that’s not going to help if they fall,” Perlot said.

Both Perlot and Haynie said parents play a big role in having their kids wear helmets when they ride. “Parents need to start their kids wearing a helmet at a young age so they get used to it,” Perlot said. “It should be routine.”

Haynie added that wearing a helmet is not inherent, it needs to be learned. “Parents teach their kids not to stick their fingers in a light socket and not to drink the chemicals under the sink. They also need to teach their kids not to ride a bike without a helmet,” he said. “As anybody who rides a bike will tell you, it’s not ‘if’ you fall, it’s ‘when’ you fall.”

As for Kevin, the crash left him down for a short while, but not out. “We got him a new helmet, and he was back on the bike that night,” Penny said.

The swollen, bloody lips and the bruises will heal, but the ordeal will be remembered by all involved. Penny said she and Kenny would be wearing helmets from now on, and added, “They could’ve been flying Kevin out on a helicopter.”

Although he has a new helmet to wear, Kevin still has the old one that saved him, and said he’ll tell his friends, “Wear your helmet.”

“There is no doubt the helmet prevented a more serious injury,” Haynie said.

Perlot stated the time she serves with the coalition is of significance importance to her. “I work at city hall, but making sure the kids are protected is my passion,” she said. “I know what I do makes a difference. And Kevin is our poster child.”