Family Advocates For Bike Safety After Child Is Saved By His Helmet

Snapping his fingers, parent Chris Groenwold said, “It happened like that, you know, it just took one second.”

On Saturday, May 11th, Groenwold went out to get his mail as his 4-year-old son Cohen rode his bike in the driveway. But when Groenwold turned away from his mailbox, he saw his worst nightmare.

“I turned back around again just in time to see the front of the vehicle pop up a little bit, and then I heard a popping sound,” Groenwold said.

That popping sound was Cohen’s helmet shattering into pieces after it he was ran over by the mail truck.

“So, I ran and grabbed him as quick as I could,” Groenwold said. “He was crying which was a good thing [because] he didn’t lose consciousness.”

In fact, Cohen had very minor injuries considering what had happened. Cohen only suffered a few road rashes, and had some imprints in his head from the helmet.

“It’s the best outcome a father could ask for,” Groenwold said.

Now Cohen’s parents can’t say enough about the importance of wearing your helmet.

“We’re huge advocates for helmets,” Groenwold said. “Even in a nice neighborhood like this, stuff can happen like that. In our opinion, that helmet is a miracle.”

“It’s pretty impressive when you look at that little piece of plastic and that foam that it sustained whatever impact there was,” Jim Exsted, Baxter’s Police Chief, said. “It took the brunt of it.”

The Groenwolds are hoping that more people start wearing their helmets after they hear what happened to their son.

“Like I said, I’m a huge advocate,” Groenwold said. “We have a miracle child here to use as an example for helmet safety.”

Helmets take two seconds to strap on, and in Cohen’s case, they can add many years to your life.

The driver of the mail delivery vehicle will not face any charges relating to the crash.