Arron Muhlitner and Patrick McMeans learned a valuable lesson about bicycle safety on May 30 when they weren’t wearing their helmets.
The 13-year-old Oxford residents were riding their bikes around the neighborhood in Lake Villa Manufactured Home Community when they decided to venture to the the middle school.
‘We saw a big hill with a jump,? said Muhlitner. ‘We were doing the jump and I wanted to try another jump. I hit the jump and I did a face plant into the ground. Smack.?
McMeans immediately ran down the hill while grabbing a cell phone out of his pocket.
‘When I saw his face I dialed 9-1-1 as quick as I could,? he said. ‘I was thinking ‘oh, my gosh, did he break anything?? There was a lot of blood.?
Muhlitner had insisted his friend not call 9-1-1.
‘I didn’t know it was as bad as it was,? he explained. ‘I was a little scared and I didn’t know what was going to happen.?
After the paramedics arrived, Muhlitner was put into a neck brace and placed onto a flat board in case he had hurt his back.
‘It was scary,? said stepmom, Jennifer, when she and Paul, Arron’s dad arrived on the scene. ‘They said he was very lucky to have a friend with him because something worse may have happened.?
His neck and back weren’t injured, but he did break his jaw in three places at two movement placements. It was moving away from the bones and the pieces were screwed during surgery to hold them in place.
His front teeth went through his skin under his bottom lip. He lost nine teeth, four during the accident and the others had to be pulled because they went sideways and had to be pulled to align the jaw.
He will have to to get partial dentures to fill in the gaps from the missing teeth, but it will wait until after he is finished growing.
About half of his remaining teeth are damaged and he will have to get them capped.
‘If I would’ve worn a helmet, I don’t know what would have happened,? said Arron. ‘The way I went down my head could have bounced back (with a helmet on.)?
Oxford Paramedic Firefighter BJ Stapp was one of the first responders on the scene and said there are different kinds of helmets to prevent damage. For Arron, the best would have been a BMX helmet – which has a face covering and is worn by bicyclists that perform tricks.
Stapp added the damage could have been worse.
‘The bleeding in his mouth could’ve blocked his airways and compromised his breathing,? he said. ‘The force like Arron’s can cause brain damage and fractures. He lost close to a liter of blood, which could have caused shock.?
Arron missed the last weeks of school, couldn’t talk for awhile, and had to be put on a liquid diet. He received the okay on July 14 to eat solid foods. ‘I can eat any kind of food my mouth will let me,? he said. ‘I can now go swimming and put my head under the water because I won’t get any infection.?
Arron and McMeans admitted they wore helmets when they were younger, but quit wearing them after they thought they didn’t need them.
Both agreed, they think differently now and will be wearing a helmet.
‘You should wear a helmet when you are riding a bike,? said Arron. ‘You are never too cool to wear a helmet. If you think you look dorky, who cares what other people think as long as you know you are safe.?
Adding to the lesson of wearing a helmet, they learned the hard way to listen to their parents. ‘We weren’t even supposed to go up there,? said Arron. ‘Patrick’s mom said don’t go up to the middle school. I said ‘what your mom doesn’t know won’t hurt her.? If your parents tell you not to go anyplace, don’t go. It’s not worth it.?
Another lesson the boys learned was to leave the tricks and jumps to professionals. Or to ask a professional to help them.
‘Never try to attempt anything you have never done,? said McMeans. ‘If you have done it, wear a helmet. Don’t try anything we did because you will get seriously hurt.?
Arron said he is done with jumps and does not want to try anymore. ‘The doctor said if I hit my jaw, it’s more likely to break with not as much as a force because it has already been broken,? Arron explained.
Stapp along with the Oxford Fire Department and Village of Oxford Police will spend the month of August spreading the word to wear a helmet. Kids they see wearing helmets will receive a coupon for a free cone or apple dippers from McDonald’s.
Kids not wearing helmets will receive a coupon to Main Street Bicycles for $10 off a helmet and can stop by the OXFD, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. to get a coupon.
‘Helmets are simple ways to prevent injury,? said Stapp. He added most injuries the department has seen could have been prevented by wearing a helmet. According to Safe Kids USA, non-helmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be in a fatal crash then non-helmeted riders.
‘Anyone that thinks they are invincible and they think they won’t get hurt, no matter what there is always a chance you might get hurt,? said Arron.