A Life Flight helicopter carried a seriously injured bicyclist to UMass Memorial Medical Center after he collided with a car on Oak Hill Road just before noon last Saturday. Police did not release the cyclist’s name but said he was from Leominster.
A witness said the car had come down Woodchuck Hill Road onto Oak Hill Road and was signalling a turn. Just then, the cyclist came down Oak Hill. As he caught up to the slowing car, police said, he tried to pass it on the right, which they said is not legal. At the same moment, the driver—who police said was unaware of the cyclist—began to turn into his driveway. The cyclist struck the side of the car and landed face down on the pavement.
A UMass Memorial Medical Center medical flight crew loads an injured bicyclist onto the helicopter after he collided with a car on Oak Hill Road. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The driver immediately dialed 911, according to a witness, and others at the scene did the same. Emergency vehicles headed through town center, their sirens startling people at Town Meeting, which was just getting underway in front of the Bromfield School. Police said the cyclist was unconscious on the road when the ambulance arrived.
Ordinarily, the Life Flight helicopter would have landed on the open space in front of the library and the Bromfield School, to be as close as possible to the accident scene. But that space was filled with tents, chairs, and attendees at Town Meeting. So the Fire Department redirected the helicopter to the Depot Road athletic fields, and the ambulance squad took the injured cyclist there.
Police said the cyclist caused the accident, and the driver of the car was not at fault. No information was available on the cyclist’s current condition, but police said he had no memory of the accident.
According to police, hospital staff told the cyclist his $300 helmet had saved his life.
