A Colwood family is disputing a police report that suggests their son’s bike wasn’t properly illuminated when it crashed into a car earlier this month.
A 20-year-old Colwood man cycling northbound on Island Highway on Dec. 6 at 9:15 p.m., was badly injured after hitting a car making a left turn across traffic into the West Shore Parks and Recreation parking lot.
The West Shore RCMP incident report, gleaned from witness statements, indicated the bike didn’t have lights. The parents of the young man say that’s simply not the case — when they retrieved the badly damaged bike that night, it’s front and rear lights were still on, they say.
“The lights were still flashing when we picked up the bike,” said Deborah Kline, mom of the injured cyclist. “My son wouldn’t go out without proper lights.”
The 20-year-old, who requested not to be named, hit a four-door Chevrolet and went through the passenger-side window. His parents say he ended up with a broken collarbone and two cracked vertebrae. He needed is ear cartilage resewn, and had stitches and plastic surgery on his neck due to broken glass.
He spent six days in hospital and is recovering at home.
“Thank goodness he had on a really good helmet, it saved him from serous head injury,” Kline said. “And one inch the other way and he would have hit the bar between the windows.”
Kline described her son as a passionate cyclist who understands bike safety, and had worked for a bike shop on the West Shore.
“My only hope is that the drivers on the roads, especially at this time of year, drive carefully and are extra vigilant — not only for other vehicles, but also cyclists and pedestrians,” Kline said. “A split second can change the lives of so many people forever.”
editor@goldstreamgazette.com