Mother hit while biking on St. Louis road seeks changes to improve traffic safety
By Gabriela Vidal
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — At a busy intersection off of Forest Park Avenue and Boyle Avenue is a spot where Hazel Jenkins will not soon forget.
“I don’t lie, I’m still scared out there,” said Jenkins. “So memorable day for me because the next day would be my husband’s birthday.”
Jenkins is an avid cyclist who recently moved to the U.S. from the Philippines and started a job at a dialysis center in the Central West End. She was biking home from work on September 24 when she made a left turn onto Boyle coming westbound from Forest Park Avenue. It was then that she was hit by a car.
“After I’ve been hit, I rolled over on the other side,” said Jenkins. “I was really literally rolling on the side of the sidewalk. That’s the last thing I remember from the accident. But I am glad that I didn’t lose consciousness. I don’t have a head injury.”
She tells News 4 she broke her left ankle and suffered from fractures to her pubic ramus and right sacral in her pelvic area. However, it is emotional scarring that continues to cause the greatest pain nearly a month since the accident.
“I’m a very active person. I like the outdoors. I like walking, cycling. I’m a mom. I’m a wife and I’m a healthcare worker. I do have a life out there,” she said.
Multiple crashes involving cars and pedestrians or cyclists this year have sparked demands for change on St. Louis roads. Just this week, a number of residents and city hall leaders spoke about traffic safety, particularly on North Grand, during a neighborhood town hall.
Yet, traffic safety is a concern that also stretches into the Central West End neighborhood, as Jenkins experienced firsthand.
James Whyte with the Central West End Neighborhood Security Initiative shared surveillance videos of car crashes from the last two years where pedestrians and cyclists were hit.
“We have to be more aware and look after ourselves,” said Jenkins. “You don’t look at them as just a driver [cyclist], but look at them as a person, that they have a life. They’re a mother.”
As Jenkins continues her recovery, her family now faces a new set of challenges.
“I just started a job, a life here in America, and I was thinking like what will happen to me after the accident,” she said. “I want to be treated, but financially…I was thinking what will be the aftermath of all of this.”
Adding insult to injury, Jenkins and her husband’s electric bikes were also stolen from their home last week. Both use bikes as their only form of transportation.
Yet, there has been support since Jenkins’ accident. A GoFundMe was created by her husband’s colleagues at BWorks, the nonprofit organization that fosters education and community outreach through bike donations.
“I am very happy about it. I didn’t expect this because I thought I was going through this alone,” said Jenkins.
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