Madison and Ashley Dies met, like they usually did, at the bike rack after school to pedal home.
Ashley, 9, had twisted her long blonde hair into a bun that April day last year and didn’t want to smash it under her magenta helmet. But her big sister, Madison, 11, gave her no choice. A family friend tightened the straps under each girl’s chin and they were off, racing under the trees of their West Akron neighborhood, flying down the hill of a brick side street until Ashley’s front tire hit a giant pot hole and threw her, face first, onto the pavement.
Blood spilled from a cut on Ashley’s forehead, her lips were bleeding and her teeth were chipped. Neighbors called 911.
What happened to Ashley happens to a lot of kids. In 2014, Summit County emergency rooms treated 479 children hurt in bicycle accidents; those same emergency rooms treated 252 more kids hurt on skateboards, skates and scooters, according to the Summit County Childhood Injury Report.
Each of those accidents was a potential serious head injury for children not wearing helmets.
Akron Children’s Hospital, working with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., wants to curb those numbers.
The Goodyear Foundation — which has supported efforts for safe car seats in Summit County for years — is funding a three-year Safety and Mobility Project that will expand Children’s Hospital’s safety program.
Part of the $500,000 Goodyear donation will provide 2,700 bike helmets to Summit County children over the next three years.
Children’s Hospital will use the rest to focus on the safety of children riding in cars, walking to school or learning to drive. It will also expand its relationships with Safe Kids Summit County, Safe Routes to School, the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority and Akron police to make it happen.
“Helmets are so important on every single ride,” said Heather Trnka, injury prevention coalition coordinator for Children’s Hospital. “It doesn’t matter if kids are on a bike or a scooter or anything with wheels. Helmets can save their lives.”
Ashley doesn’t remember her bike wreck last year, the sirens or the ambulance that whisked her away to Children’s Hospital.
But Madison, who refused to cry that day because she didn’t want to scare her sister, remembers it all.
At the hospital, Ashley received 10 stitches across her forehead. Thanks to her helmet, she passed concussion tests.
Ashley’s mom, Missy Dies, broke down Thursday recounting what happened.
What if Madison hadn’t forced her sister to wear a helmet? What if the family friend hadn’t tightened her chin strap?
Doctors said her injuries would have been much worse — possibly life-threatening — if Ashley hadn’t been wearing a helmet.
Mike Dies, the girls’ father, said Thursday he grew up riding bikes without a helmet. He didn’t think about it with his daughters until his brother-in-law took him aside and asked him to give a reason why not to wear a helmet. Mike Dies said he couldn’t.
So the Dies bought the girls helmets.
“Make your kids wear their bike helmets every time,” he said. “It’s so funny hearing these words coming out of my mouth, but really, I know now just how important it is.”
The Children’s safety program kicks off Friday at Irma Jones Preschool/Head Start/Arlington Christian Academy, where Goodyear employees will help fit helmets on children and teach them some biking safety tips, including how bike tires can skid on wet pavement, manhole covers, sticks or gravel.
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.