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Injured senior implores cyclists to be careful By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF A 77-year-old Oakville woman is calling on cyclists to slow down around pedestrians after a young bike rider sent her to hospital with serious injuries last week. Helen Burke said she was walking with a friend along a path in the Fourth Line/West Oak Trails Boulevard area Tuesday, Aug. 7, when she was suddenly hit from behind. "I fell over and hit my head and was knocked right out," she said from her hospital bed. "When I came to, I was on the ground with blood all over me." Burke later learned from her friend that a young boy, whom she estimated to be 11-12 years old, had come down the trail on his bike at a rapid clip and struck Burke. The force of the collision not only injured Burke, but caused the boy to fly over the handlebars of his bicycle and hit the ground. The boy's cellphone was used to call an ambulance. Burke reported the only visible injury to the boy, who was not wearing a helmet, appeared to be a black eye. Burke suffered a broken collarbone, five fractured ribs, stitches in two places on her head and damage to a finger where a tendon ripped off its bone. Doctors also examined Burke to see if she had a punctured lung. Brenda Pacher, Burke's daughter, said she was amazed by how much damage a bicycle collision can do. "My husband called me and told me I had to go to the emergency room to see her and I was thinking, `Okay, how bad can this be? She was hit by a bike,'" said Pacher. "I figured she'd have a broken toe and a couple of scratches, but when I saw her... she looked like she'd been hit by a car." Pacher said she didn't realize how badly a bike can hurt someone and doubts other people do. It's something young cyclists and their parents should keep in mind, according to Pacher. The road to recovery for Burke will not be short as Pacher said her mother's doctors expect it will take approximately eight weeks for her broken bones to heal. Her injured finger is expected to take 12 weeks to mend. During this recovery time, Pacher said her mother will not be able to drive, wash herself or even cut her own food. This sudden dependence on others, Pacher said, will not be easy for the active senior who until now continued to enjoy golfing, lawn bowling and other outdoor activities. As bad as the accident was, Burke said it could have been worse as she often sees entire families, including toddlers, walking the trail where she was "This has changed my whole life from being active and healthy to where I am now, where it's hard just to get a breath." Burke said she has been walking the path where she was struck since the 1990s and now questions whether she will be able to find the courage to walk there again. Pacher said `Yield to Pedestrians' signs are pres- 5 · Thursday, August 16, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com ent throughout the trail. The Halton Regional Police Service is investigating this incident and is reminding pedestrians and cyclists they must share the town's trails. No charges have been laid in connection with the accident. Burke thanked the several people who came to her aid immediately following the accident. Tell them where you saw it. Get $10 back on your first $25 purchase reGister start sh today, o & We'll s pping. hip it NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog FREE! RECUPERATING: Helen Burke, 77, was admitted to hospital for injuries after an unexpected run-in with a cyclist in the local trail system. Now recuperating, the Oakville woman is urging cyclists and walkers to watch out for one another and use the trails safely. struck. The senior also said it could have been worse for the young boy on the bike who could have been killed if he had struck a tree after colliding with her. For these reasons, Burke is imploring cyclists to slow down when riding these trails. "It's supposed to be a safe trail. It's all families walking there. It's not a racetrack," she said. Come and experience the ART of learning... Your half-day alternative: · Voted Oakville's Best Preschool · Recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence for JK and SK Free Quotes AMAZING RATES! Co m Fast Service... me Auto rcia ·H l·L om ife e ·T ra ve l OAAK's Preschool, Junior and Kindergarten students dance, create, explore, sing and play their way to becoming joyful, industrious, investigative and deeply invested lifelong learners. 2345 Wyecroft Road Unit 18, Oakville L6L 6L8 For more information and to book a tour, please contact our Head of Kinderschool, Ms. Kim Speer - recent recipient of The National Prime Minister's Award of Excellence for Early Childhood Education. 905.847.0400 ADRIAN KEITH akeith@all-risks.com Accepting Preschool, Junior Kindergarten & Senior Kindergarten registrations for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year. Offering The Finest in Arts Exploration and Development! 1011 Upper Middle Road East & Eighth Line · 905.844.ARTS (2787) www.oakvilleacademy.com