A 15-year-old Palm Coast adolescent was in critical condition Wednesday evening after a pick-up truck collided with the electric bike the 15 year old was riding as he crossed the intersection at Lakeview Boulevard and Laramie Drive in north Palm Coast.
The crash was reported to 911 at 4:49 p.m. According to 911 dispatch notes and the Florida Highway Patrol, the adolescent was riding west on Laramie Drive, which ends at Lakeview. He “failed to stop at the posted stop sign,” FHP reports.
A 38-year-old Palm Coast man was at the wheel of a pick-up truck, driving north on Lakeview, with a 33-year-old passenger. The pick-up was pulling a trailer. As the bike rider was crossing the intersection, the driver attempted an evasive action, but the bike rider struck the right side of the pick-up, was ejected, then struck the trailer, resulting in severe injuries to the head.
Authorities were almost immediately at the scene as were numerous bystanders. Flagler County FireFlight, the emergency helicopter, was summoned. The victim was breathing but was not responsive as paramedics worked on him. He was given a Glasgow Classification Scale of 3–the lowest and most critical reading on the 15-point scale also known as the Glasgow Coma Scale (15 is normal, 3 is unresponsive.)
The occupants of the pick-up truck were not injured. Authorities were able to identify the parents of the child soon after the crash. FireFlight took the victim at 5:22 p.m. and flew to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, a 25-minute flight.
Lakeview Boulevard was shut down in both directions in the area of the crash starting shortly before 5 p.m. The road fully re-opened at 7 p.m.
Other than FHP, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Coast Fire Department and Flagler County Fire Rescue all responded to the scene.
Concerned Citizen says
I am sorry he is in critical condition.
But cyclists just as you cry about motorists behavior. You are REQUIRED by law to follow the rules of the road. Every afternoon I cut across Royal Palms at Belle Terre. And I watch big groups of bikes just stroll across with no ped light. While oncoming traffic has the green and has to stop mid intersection. Yesterday a Dad with most of his family just went and gave us the finger. Super classy Btw. And I won’t go into the amount of cyclists that just roll thru stop signs in the area.
I have said this many times before. Respect goes both ways in keeping our roads safe for all. Do the right thing. It doesn’t waste any more of your time. And ensures we ALL get home.
JimboXYZ says
Exactly, it’s unclear whether the cyclist was wearing a safety helmet from the story. A 15 year old, is under the age of 16, which by FL Statute is required to wear a helmet. I see too many cyclists riding the sidewalks on the wrong side of the road. Salmoning is the term for that. The last time a child suffered head injuries was in the R-Section near Rymfire, child was not wearing a helmet that day. No motorist was involved, as I recall the child crashed for self inflicted injury.
With all the motorized bikes on the roads today. There is a fuzzy area for what would require some type of licensing for a certain age (like a car or motorcycle requires) for the speed & power rating of electrical ebikes. And when I see a sign that indicates motorized vehicles are prohibited on sidewalks, I still see an ebike riding at full throttle on the sidewalks. I’m a bicyclist myself., where the helmet as an adult, but that still doesn’t make any cyclist invincible. The problem with Snell ratings for helmets, those are rated for falling down form the height of a bicycle seat to the ground. It is not any protection guarantee for collision & anything where real forces of a collision & impact are exponentially greater in a collision of objects traveling at greater rates of speed than gravity. A Snell rating is a worthless certification really for a motorcycle, moped, scooter, atv, ebike, golf cart. It might mean something for someone skateboarding or skating on flat land, but downhill at any speed, that best a helmet will do is keep you from grinding the hair off your head for road rash. The neck & skull isn’t going to hold up at body weight at 20+ mph against a concrete curb. I’ve observed too many motorists that assume a right turn onto Belle Terre without a full complete stop just the same. We’ve all read about the motorist that doesn’t allow the 3 foot rule when passing a bicyclist just the same. As Palm Coast grows, more traffic, here are going to be those that are casualties to this type of collision. Eventually, those folks learn the hard way & weed themselves out of the game of commuting.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.2065.html#:~:text=(d)%20A%20bicycle%20rider%20or,part%201203.
FlaglerLive says
The article should have pointed out that the child was not wearing a helmet, according to FHP.
Veronica Allen-Ingram says
Well since a parent gave you the finger when clearly they were the ones doing something illegal, then you know where the kids get it from. It starts at home.
JonQPublik says
Fact.
devin says
y’all are fucking idiots some kid almost died and they are in the hospital but you guys are more concerned over road rules are you kidding me you guys are adults show some fucking sympathy and you guys are saying “well are they wearing a helmet 🤓” so what idk if they were wearing a helmet i see no one wearing a helmet nowadays you guys are heartless people man use your fucking brain for once.
SamIAm says
Maybe if he was wearing a helmet he wouldn’t be in critical condition 🤓
Joan M Kerns says
Amen! The only thing that should be saying, is that I will keep him in my prayers. People are so quick to judge and pass blame. It was a horrible accident and I will keep him in My prayers.
Mona says
This is idiotic comment. Of course it is always about the rules. Maybe the kid would not lost his life, if he respected the rules. And this doesn’t mean, that people don’t feel bad about his death. Next time, take a deep breath, clean your mouth and than write.
William Wells says
You guys really need to have a heart, like yeah if different precautions were taken maybe things could’ve turned out a little differently or maybe a brighter chance but who knows, you definitely don’t so mind your damn business and keep the boy in your prayers. There’s a pair of parent’s out here right now who can’t do anything about their comatose child but sit and pray and stay on the sidelines. That’s someone’s brother, someone’s son, someone’s friend, someone’s grandson, someone’s nephew and this is what you guys have to say in the comments. Try putting yourself in the parent’s shoes, terrified and unsure about their child’s health. Be better as people and care instead of criticize.
Claire says
Exactly
Jlv says
I agree. It is sad all around. Imagine how the driver of the pickup truck is feeling as well.
Shark says
I’m sure if the parents have trump care it will cover everything !!!!
drinkitdown says
you should really drink some bleach buddy.
Robert Joseph Fortier says
A lot of bleach, actually…
feddy says
And there it is, someone had to go political only after 12 posts.
Scootrhead says
I agree William Wells! People on here don’t think most of the time, just point fingers to try to justify a situation. Like no one on here did something they shouldn’t have when they were 15 or made a mistake at that age. The only thing here is the teen is hurt and it was an accident and he is in critical condition.
No one here was there they can’t say if the driver was speeding and maybe the teen made a judgement thinking they could cross the road.
Well, I lived off of Lancelot for years with my house right near the intersection with the back of it facing Lakeview and I can tell you now that that part of the road is like a racetrack. Most people dont abide by the speed limit.
So, it could be many factors that lead to it, but the point is he is hurt first, then once he recovers, God be willing, we can look at the causes and how to ensure they dont happen again.
JonQPublik says
Maybe the boy’s parents should be worried that they didn’t teach him well enough to always wear a helmet. Maybe they are liable for the injuries, the damages and everything else because they didn’t care enough to make sure he took all the proper precautions when riding his bike.
You know who else is traumatized? The driver and the passenger. Can you imagine hitting a kid? Dreadful. I’m sure their parents, children and extended families are also going through some hellish feelings.
I do have a heart, but I’m not going to give sympathy to a side when it’s the side in the wrong. Yes it’s sad, but not just for the kid.
Peoplesux says
Good, don’t ask for any sympathy when it’s someone you know and love you heartless piece of trash
Disgusted in people says
Someone obviously dropped you on your head because you can’t seem to process that a kid was critically injured and accidents happen the blame can’t be out on either side.
TR says
Well said JonQPublik. There are so many people out there always trying to blame others for their short comings. This situation all falls on the parents.
But you are also correct that the driver and the passenger are traumatized.
Claire Kirksey says
The people who are in this comment section saying stuff like it was the kids fault are terrible people. This is a 15 year old kid were talking about who is critically injured and in a coma. So for a random adult to comment that kids now days should know the rules or a half assed oh so sorry but it was his fault should take a step back and maybe think for even two seconds before posting a comment. Many people are hurt by this. And it’s obvious that no one here took into account that this was a kid who live here with friends that are hurt and this person’s parents and family. It’s so disgusting to see people act this way.
JonQPublik says
Claire, shaming people is about as useless as thoughts and prayers. The article actually says, “…He “failed to stop at the posted stop sign,” FHP reports.”
Yes, every aspect of this story sucks. Do I think one life is more valuable than another based on age? No. Does it suck that the FHP acknowledge who is at fault? Yes it’s sad if true (we may learn differently- or not- later; especially if speed was an issue as previously mentioned by other commenters). It would still be sad if it was the fault of another.
If you are using the road, YES, you are expected to know the rules of the road. That’s why people don’t drive on sidewalks (usually… we are talking about Palm Coast).
Would it make a difference if it were a 7 year old? Probably- I cannot fathom a child being responsible enough at that age, so it’skinda moot. One year shy of a driver’s license? I’d hope my child would have learned enough by example of what not to do on a road.
You don’t have to like it. I don’t either, but unless it is revealed the kid is actually not at fault, I’m not going to sit here and fake sympathy when it isn’t due.
Citizen says
I don’t understand how you can be so terrible to not have sympathy for either parties and have to “fake it” as you say. It’s honestly disgusting that you should have to fake any sympathy for either party because both were severely affected.
TR says
So the parents and the kid (15 yrs old should know better) shouldn’t take any responsibility? Yea, no I disagree, but hey everyone gets a trophy for showing up, right?
Ryan says
So much traffic and overpopulation in palm coast. I told wife,i had enough might move to North Carolina in a small tow. This town is done for!
JimboXYZ says
Sheriff Staly can only do so much to reign in Alfin’s 2050 vision of Palm Coast. He’s outnumbered for random & rampant growth and even there he has the rarer FCSO officer’s adult aged kids that hit & run victims on US-1 as DUI/DWI. NC or any other perceived rural Utopian community is no guarantee of a solution though, wait until you relocate there & find it’s the same level of inbred & low IQ.
Disgusted in Flagler County says
This is so sad. I’m definitely praying for the boy to have a full and speedy recovery. Sending prayers.
The Sour Kraut says
I feel bad for the kid and his family. I also feel bad for the driver who was doing nothing wrong, but still may carry guilt about what happened. I was nearly in the same boat a few weeks ago when a boy on an electric bike shot out in front of me. I barely slammed on the brakes fast enough. The kid just kept on going like he didn’t almost die. I think I —- myself a little. Took me the rest of the afternoon to calm down and I didn’t actually hit the kid.
PC Dave says
It’s a damn shame. I don’t know if it would have changed anything in this instance, but I believe the laws need to start catching up with technology. Treat these e bikes like mopeds were treated back in the day. Minimum age requirements (14?) license requirements so they have to know the rules of the road and take a test to prove it, and minimum PPE requirements (DOT approved helmets). I don’t know that it would have changed this situation, but I certainly believe it would prevent other instances. We all had an Oh Shit moment when we were kids on our bikes, but an oh shit moment at 10 MPH on a Huffy is a lot different than an oh shit moment at 40 MPH on an e bike. I sincerely hope everyone involved makes a full recovery.
Peaches McGee says
I think we can all agree that is very sad for all parties involved. No parent wants to go through this, nor the other driver. This accident will affect all parties forever.
However, there needs to be accountability. The bicyclist did run the stop sign, that we know. Were they properly trained in the rules of the road? Did the parents take extra precautions and training when their teenager went from a bicycle to an e-bike? Education goes a long way.
Take a moment, think of your children. Do your best to keep them safe and knowledgeable.
Cherry Perry says
This is what happens when children are let to drive a motorized anything on the road, at that age they want to do whatever they feel like their mentality is not mature enough to be on a roadway., besides not passing any type of examen for this. I am sorry this occurred but sorry does not help anyone, and a lot of the fault lies with the parents, they think giving this type of equipment is funny and it is not. I know of many accidents like this involving this type of guidance by parents, such as a 6 year old driving a 4 wheeler collided with a fence, and was in the hospital for a month, who is at fault here, PARENTS…
John Yankovich says
It’s only just begun!!!!
Sad eyes... says
Very sad, but I’ve seen this young man blow through the stop signs many times.
Praying…….
Celia Pugliese says
First of all prayers for the injured teen and also the traumatized driver. These motorized bikes should required a license in our roads after a proper training course like any other driver in have to take. I see groups of kids coming out after dark in those not even lighted bikes and arriving back on their homes at 12 pm and 1 am at night. They speed around and do not abide by stop signs into Club House Drive a very busy collector road. Is a tragedy waiting to happen like I reported to law enforcement. If you try talk to their mother she replies “to go F.. k yourself” in front of the bunch of guest kids crowding her driveway in noisy gatherings splaying basket-ball, while risking nearby neighbors windows and …while there is a city park basket- ball court short of two blocks away in the community center! Other issue with some motorized bikes is they think they own our trails and walkways and ride short of hitting anyone just jogging, walking their dog or just elderly walking their grandkids. So at this point a proper license after a safety course should be in place as well as insurance required as if they hurt a pedestrian or pet who is going to pay the med or vet bill? Tallahassee better write the needed bill. Cycling should be for exercising and motorized bikes need to be regulated like any other motorized vehicle in public roads or trails/walkways.
T. Randy Jones says
As parents we can try to teach our children right from wrong. We try to impress upon them that some of the people they see in class in high school every school day will die before graduation. We try to teach them to act responsibly. As parents our greatest fear is that we will survive our child(ren).
Recall that about 5 years ago a young girl was struck by a motor vehicle while walking northbound along Lakeview about 300 feet north of where this accident happened. My son knew knew her. He said, “Dad, you were right.” Yes, she was walking along the wrong side of the road. Yes, she was wearing dark clothing on a moonless night. Yes, her parents will grieve her death until their last breath. Yes, she made a mistake and yes, it cost her her life. Did she deserve to die because she made a mistake?
Each and every one of us need to exhibit loving kindness toward one another. There’s too much hate in this world. There’s too much anger. There’s too many keyboard warriors hiding behind FAKE screen names and expecting us to accept them as real. Have the guts to use you real name if you want to be taken for real.
I challenge each of you to choose joy today and everyday. I hope all of your babies will survive you.
We trade youth for wisdom.
Say no to Electric says
These electric battery bikes will become a bigger problem. The kids on London and Lee will dart out in front of moving vehicles and the dump trucks and other trucks due to all the unnecessary construction on every road. This area is becoming like the projects.
jeffery cortland seib says
This certainly is a tragedy. We all have to wish this young man a speedy, full, recovery. The trauma we all would experience at the wheel of the vehicle involved will be akin on a lessor scale to what the parents are going through. Everybody loses in this, including us. This electric bike technology has passed our way of dealing with it. We don’t need blame, we need action. I see all types, all ages, using these electric bikes, many times badly. On the road, on the sidewalk, anywhere and everywhere. Too fast, too dangerous. I hope we can regulate these essentially vehicles so that we may never experience this again. That would be the greatest wish for the child, the parents, the driver, and all of us.
Skibum says
I wish people would stop blaming the 15 year old for not wearing a helmet when riding his bicycle. Yes, of course it could have better protected him from his critical head injury, but he is a kid and like every other kid out there doing every day things, they realize people doing what they are doing could get hurt but don’t think it will ever happen to them. I don’t think any of us adults were much different when we were his age. I look back on some of the dumb, probably unsafe things I did when I was a teenager and thank my lucky stars that I made it through my teens without injury! And lest we forget, we all see ADULTS riding their motorcycles speeding up and down I-95 every day without helmets, so let’s try not to be overly judgmental about decisions that children make, OK? We should instead be hoping and praying he survives and recovers from his traumatic injury… like good people should be hoping for when someone is tragically injured.
Robert Joseph Fortier says
Thank you skibum…