One of the hardest and scariest days as a mom happened about eight years ago this week.

I was going out for a fun jog with my kiddos - I pushed the youngest in the stroller and the older two grabbed their helmets and jumped onto their bikes.  We were having a great ride/jog and got about 2 miles from the house when the kiddos asked if they could ride up ahead a bit on the sidewalk.  That is when our happy-go-lucky night turned into a night I'll never forget.

We are blaming the accident on a squirrel.  It really doesn't matter what the play-by-play was because all I knew was that as I turned the corner on the block (which was just about 50 feet of me not seeing my kids to when they appeared in view again) my daughter was on the ground and covered in blood.

The cuts were pretty bad in several places but the image of the wrist is something I won't ever forget.  There were some new angles going on with her body that definitely showed signs of a broken bone, and thankfully, nothing was sticking out or oozing because I'd be going to the hospital along with my daughter.  ;)

Thanks to a stranger, I was able to get my kids, the two bikes, and the stroller back to my house 2 miles away.  I shoved my boys to a neighbors house, grabbed some ice packs for my daughter and took off for the ER.

The next few hours were spent in two ER's, lots of xrays, lots of Doctors and med students but there was one pretty constant question that continued to be asked to myself and my daughter, "Were you wearing a helmet?".

My daughter was asked this question so many times that she even asked me at one point, "Mom, are they all not talking to each other because I've already answered this question about 10 times?".

She was wearing a helmet but in the crazy of me being covered in sweat from running with some blood now mixed in, and worried about my daughter and my other kids...I didn't think about bringing the helmet with me.

We looked at the helmet when we got home and it had cracks in three spots.  I was shocked!  The helmet was immediately thrown away but it did the job that it needed to do...protect my child.

A head injury can mean brain injury. That's why it's so important to wear your bike helmet. Wearing one doesn't mean you can be reckless, but a helmet will provide some protection for your face, head, and brain in case you fall down. - KidsHealth.org

According to KidsHealth.org, about 300,000 kids have bike accidents each year.  Find more about bike safety and ways to size the helmets correctly at this link: Bike Helmet and Safety

We have amazing bike trails in the area but whether you are on the road or the trails, you need to think about safety as you go on a ride.  I asked Y105FM listeners to share their bike safety tips - for those on the bike AND for those that are driving on the roads.

Check out the Facebook post (here) or below and add your comments if you have any others to add.  One of my favorites though from MyBikeGuy in Rochester was that the bike helmet should be worn by everyone...and yes, adults, that means you too!

Listen to Jessica Williams from 10 am until 2 pm on Y105FM!

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