By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A 40-year-old man was airlifted with severe injuries after a two-bicycle accident near the skate park in Napavine yesterday evening.
It happened on West Washington Street near Haywire Road.
The 15-year-old Napavine boy with whom he collided escaped with just bruises, according to police.
Police and aid were called just before 5 p.m. to what looked like a pretty much a head on accident, according to Napavine Police Department Officer Silas Elwood.
Elwood said the teenager was heading home from the skate park when he crossed the road.
“The other gentleman was riding into town on Washington / Highway 603, it’s a downhill slope,” Elwood said. “He was one of those kind of serious bicycling guys. Witnesses said he was probably going 30 to 35 mph.”
Ronald Pollack, 40, of Winlock, apparently went head first over his handle bars and landed on the pavement, Elwood said. He was wearing a helmet.
Pollack suffered severe head trauma and an apparent broken neck, according to responders. A LifeFlight helicopter picked him up from a nearby field and flew him to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver.
Elwood said Pollack was in surgery late last night, but in stable condition and expected to wake up today.
Someone had told the young man the safest way to ride a bike was to face traffic, but that’s not the case, Elwood said.
The sun was in his eyes, and “the kid was probably looking for cars, not another bike,” he said.
He said he wasn’t blaming the teen, but the collision points up a need for some local bicycle safety training.
Bicyclists are supposed to follow the same traffic rules as motor vehicles, according to Elwood. The speed limit there is 25 mph.
It was definitely one of those “freak” things with a number of contributing factors, Elwood said.
“I don’t even want to think about how bad this would have been if he hadn’t been wearing a helmet,” he said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
If you ride a bicycle on public streets, you are subject to the exact same traffic laws as a person in a motorized vehicle. Being on a bike doesn’t make you special or put you above the law. Also, being on 2 wheels means you have to pay a LOT more attention to what is in front of you, so you can anticipate problems and avoid them. Far too often you see a bicycle rider going full tilt, and they are looking straight down at the ground, not even seeing what is 3 feet in front of them.
Hopefully, this guy will make a full recovery, and learn this little lesson.
I live in Napavine and ride my bike down Washington by the skate park all the time. I can very easily hit 30+ mph there .but do not because of all the little kids that cross there. We all have to obey traffic laws and look out for each other. BTW I have been stopped on my bike in Vader dropping off the east side of the hill doing 45 in a 25. The deputy was very nice and just warning me they can and will issue citations even to people on bikes. Have a nice day!
I’m 60 years old and can most definitely get my mountain bike (with knobby tire treads) up to 30 mph on a downhill slope. Whomever thinks this is not attainable needs to get off the computer, get some exercise, and figure out what the different gears are for.
Nowhere in this story does it say the police said at what speed he was traveling. The story says “WITNESSES said he was PROBABLY going 30-35” — The story further states that he was traveling on a downhill slope.
OK Chehalis Bike Rider Know It All……. You talk like the kid egged him to go faster so he could yield him into the pavement! Sounds like a real stupid accident coming from both parties. Hope you don’t ever have a kid in this situation! Blame your kid, and then have the other party sue the hell out YOU! THE PARENT! They officer stated……..we need to enlighten the community more on biking safety. Sue happy arse hole!
my invite you to come and ride with me and see if you can get your bicycle up to 35 miles an hour I ride everyday and that is literally impossible I’m lucky if I can cruise at 15 to 20 so the cop was definitely wrong and needs to change his report
Why do you assume the teen was entirely at fault? The report says the 40-year-old was going 30-35 mph in a 25 zone. If blame must be assigned, it sounds like both have some blame to share.
This is a serious issue! The teen is at fault and should be responsible for all the medical bills incurred. The officer should be reprimanded for not issuing a siltation to the teen. Napavine is known for the tough as nails police officers, why is this any different? ~Chehalis Bicycle Pirate!