Neighbors,

One of my good friends and one of our neighbors almost died this past tuesday. He's alive because he wore a helmet!

Here is the post he put on facebook:

Hello friends,

Late Tuesday afternoon I was riding my bike and was hit by a cab. I was in the bike lane, going 20-25 mph when out of nowhere the cabbie took a hard left, cut me off and I hit him head-on. It happened so fast I didn't have time to brake, swerve or yell. The only thought I had was "#^&(, I'm dead!"

I impacted the driver's side door, took off the side-view mirror, dented the door panel and was knocked out cold. I don't remember the time between getting hit and waking up on my back. I kept scanned my body looking for broken bones and cuts and was amazed that I was in one piece. I tried standing but immediately fell, stars and all. My vision was blurry and speech slurred for the next minute.

In the end, I was VERY lucky and escaped with some bruised bones, a few cuts and a minor concussion. I was told at the ER that without my helmet I could have been paralyzed or killed.

I know some of us are concerned with looking "cool" and think helmets are for cowards (a friend convinced me otherwise last year). And yes, they may look lame and clash with the perfectly-styled fixed gear, but please take this to heart. I'm an experienced city rider and it can happen to anyone.

Safe riding,
Eric