North Vancouver RCMP are crediting a cyclist’s helmet with saving him from a serious head injury after being struck by a vehicle Thursday.
The 36-year-old man was commuting to work west along Main Street Thursday morning when a driver turning left onto Lynn Avenue collided with him.
“He hit his head on impact (with) the road and he was flying through the air,” said Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman.
The man was rushed to Lions Gate Hospital where the attending doctor told police the victim would have suffered a serious head injury had he not been wearing a helmet.
Instead, he got away with road rash and bruising to his elbows and knees, De Jong said.
The driver, a 75-year-old North Vancouver man, remained at the scene and co-operated with investigators. He has since been fined $167 under the Motor Vehicle Act for failure to yield on a left turn.
Police say it was simply a case of the driver not seeing the cyclist. “He made a comment about the sun being in his eyes because it was 8 a.m. That could have been a part of it,” De Jong said.
North Vancouver RCMP’s traffic section tickets both cyclists and skateboarders caught riding without a helmet, De Jong said. That applies even to skateboarders riding within a skate park.
Riding or skateboarding without a helmet can net a fine of up to $100.
