Tragic death of 13-year-old-bicyclist is a reminder to look twice to save a life
DES MOINES - While the death of a young man training for an upcoming triathlon was the result of a tragic accident, it is still a somber reminder that all drivers must be on the lookout for the bicyclists they share the road with.
Timothy Jenks was with seven other professional riders when he apparently lost control of his bicycle and was fatally struck by an SUV that was passing the group in a no-passing zone. He was only 13 years old.
Local safety advocate and attorney Corey Walker was devastated to learn that another accident took a cyclist's life in Iowa.
"I cannot imagine the pain that the Jenks family is going through," Corey Walker said. "From everything I read about Timothy, he had a real passion for life and part of that was through cycling. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and their community as they mourn the loss of this wonderful young man."
It is accidents like this one, along with those accidents he helps families with on a daily basis at his Des Moines law firm, that prompted him to start the Look4Bicycles campaign. As part of the campaign, he offers free bumper stickers for drivers to display on their cars to remind others to look out for bicycles on the road.
"Even if one rider is saved from injury or death because of a Look4Bicycles bumper sticker, we will have succeeded" Corey Walker said. "The more attention we can bring to accident prevention through educational materials or open dialogue, the more likely we are to keep our riders safe."
Walker is particularly concerned about the young bicyclists that drivers have the hardest time seeing, due to their small size and general unfamiliarity with the roads and their rules.
"If a tragic accident like this can happen to a seasoned rider like Timothy, I am concerned about what can happen to the novice child riders sharing the roads with drivers who may not be paying attention," Corey said.
Sadly, out of the more than 400 bicycle injuries that happen each year in Iowa, nearly 25% of the victims are under the age of 16, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation Traffic and Safety Office. Statistics from 2012 show that of the 467 bicyclists injured in Iowa alone, 116 of them were under 16 years old, and another 106 of the victims were aged 16 to 24.
The purpose of Look4Bicycles is to encourage all types of drivers to pay attention to their surroundings and keep an extra eye out for bicyclists. Majority of bicycle accidents involving other vehicles that are handled by Walker's firm, Walker, Billingsley and Bair, are caused because the other driver did not detect and recognize the cyclist in traffic, or because the other vehicle did not see the bicyclist before the collision, or they noticed the bike after it was too late to avoid the collision.
Looks4Bicycles bumper stickers are offered completely free of charge and there is no limit to the number of stickers you can request. All drivers are urged to make use of this free service to help spread the word about looking out for cyclists. Mr. Walker is also offering his time - free of charge - to speak to groups or to new driver's education classes interested in learning about bicycle safety for both riders and non-riders.
Stickers and other educational material can be obtained by visiting www.Look4Bicycle.com or by calling 515-661-5542.
Timothy Jenks was with seven other professional riders when he apparently lost control of his bicycle and was fatally struck by an SUV that was passing the group in a no-passing zone. He was only 13 years old.
Local safety advocate and attorney Corey Walker was devastated to learn that another accident took a cyclist's life in Iowa.
"I cannot imagine the pain that the Jenks family is going through," Corey Walker said. "From everything I read about Timothy, he had a real passion for life and part of that was through cycling. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and their community as they mourn the loss of this wonderful young man."
It is accidents like this one, along with those accidents he helps families with on a daily basis at his Des Moines law firm, that prompted him to start the Look4Bicycles campaign. As part of the campaign, he offers free bumper stickers for drivers to display on their cars to remind others to look out for bicycles on the road.
"Even if one rider is saved from injury or death because of a Look4Bicycles bumper sticker, we will have succeeded" Corey Walker said. "The more attention we can bring to accident prevention through educational materials or open dialogue, the more likely we are to keep our riders safe."
Walker is particularly concerned about the young bicyclists that drivers have the hardest time seeing, due to their small size and general unfamiliarity with the roads and their rules.
"If a tragic accident like this can happen to a seasoned rider like Timothy, I am concerned about what can happen to the novice child riders sharing the roads with drivers who may not be paying attention," Corey said.
Sadly, out of the more than 400 bicycle injuries that happen each year in Iowa, nearly 25% of the victims are under the age of 16, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation Traffic and Safety Office. Statistics from 2012 show that of the 467 bicyclists injured in Iowa alone, 116 of them were under 16 years old, and another 106 of the victims were aged 16 to 24.
The purpose of Look4Bicycles is to encourage all types of drivers to pay attention to their surroundings and keep an extra eye out for bicyclists. Majority of bicycle accidents involving other vehicles that are handled by Walker's firm, Walker, Billingsley and Bair, are caused because the other driver did not detect and recognize the cyclist in traffic, or because the other vehicle did not see the bicyclist before the collision, or they noticed the bike after it was too late to avoid the collision.
Looks4Bicycles bumper stickers are offered completely free of charge and there is no limit to the number of stickers you can request. All drivers are urged to make use of this free service to help spread the word about looking out for cyclists. Mr. Walker is also offering his time - free of charge - to speak to groups or to new driver's education classes interested in learning about bicycle safety for both riders and non-riders.
Stickers and other educational material can be obtained by visiting www.Look4Bicycle.com or by calling 515-661-5542.
