A Morinville student who was hit by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle to school on Monday remains in hospital.
The Grade 11 student suffered injuries to his kidneys and a severe concussion but is doing well “considering the possibilities that could have occurred,” said Todd Eistetter, principal at Morinville Community High School.
“He will be in for a few more days and then it will take him a while to recover from all the cuts and abrasions especially to his upper body and head,” he said.
The student was hit shortly after 8 a.m. on Monday when he was crossing 100 Avenue, about 150 metres down the road from the school. He was taken to hospital by STARS Air Ambulance shortly after. The RCMP said neither speed nor alcohol were factors in the collision and continues to investigate.
In an email to parents, David Keohane, superintendent of Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools, said the district brought in a critical response team to support students at the school. Counsellors also went to Ă©cole Notre Dame Elementary School in Morinville, where the cyclist had two younger siblings, said Eistetter.
“There were several school buses in the area and then a lot of students heard the helicopter and saw it landing,” he said. “That causes a lot of concern when you have STARS landing 100 metres down the way here.”
He said nothing like this has ever happened during school hours, at least in the past five years. He added that it is too early to consider any discussion in the school about bicycle safety. The school does not want to point blame at someone until the RCMP finishes its investigation, he said.
“We don’t know the particulars of it and that will be up to the RCMP to determine,” he said.
In the meantime, Morinville RCMP detachment commander Riz Suleman reminded residents to wear a helmet when riding their bicycle.
“Statistics support the fact that wearing a helmet is one of the best interventions for reducing cyclist injuries,” he said. “We also wish to remind motorists to be cautious when driving in school areas. It’s back to school time and we need to keep road safety in mind.”
