Teenager Critically Injured in Bicycle Collision with SUV

A special fund-raising benefit is being held on July 22 for 13-year-old Cody Allen, a young man from New Jersey who was injured in a tragic bicycle accident.  The money raised will help go towards Cody’s medical expenses. Cody collided with an SUV at an intersection on May 16.

“My friends and I were at a park nearby, and when we left, another friend and I were going down a hill,” Cody told NJ.com reporters.  “The brakes went out.”

As Cody was approaching the stop sign, he shouted to his friends that his brakes were not working, and one friend told him he was clear to pass through the intersection.  He did not see the SUV approaching the intersection at the same time, and Cody collided into the side of the vehicle.  Cody turned so his right side of his body would absorb the impact, but his leg became caught in the wheel and pulled over the bike, snapping his femur and slamming his body into the car.  The driver immediately called an ambulance, and the Laurel Lake Fire Department responded immediately.

“It was a total accident,” said Tara Allen, Cody’s mother.  “They collided together.  It couldn’t have been avoided, there’s no fault anywhere.”

“They (LLFD) were absolutely amazing,” said Tara.  “We were taken away in an ambulance, then brought by helicopter to Cooper Hospital.”

“They said I was unconscious for a minute,” Cody told NJ.com.  “But I was awake through everything else, when they pushed my leg back in place and asked me questions, like my name.  I remember everything.”

Cody suffered from a broken femur, elbow, wrist, hand and ankle.  Cody underwent 8 surgeries in 9 days, and the money raised at the fundraiser will be put towards the medical bills that are continuing to pour in on the family.

“He has scars everywhere.  Every time the doctors went in, it was two surgeries at once,” says Tara.  “The doctors told us that he was to have not bled to death.”

Cody has been working hard and making progress on his recovery, but still has a long road ahead of him.  Doctors expect a full recovery no sooner than next spring.

These types of accidents can be preventable by ensuring that your bicycle is working properly.  Bicycle maintenance is as important to overall bicycling safety as wearing a helmet and safe, visible clothing and obeying all traffic laws.

Bonnici Law Group APC—San Diego injury attorney.