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Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 87F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low 66F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
A bicycle sits parked outside of Strader’s Ice Cream in Sackets Harbor on East Main Street. Skateboarders, scooter riders and motorized bikers should wear a helmet and take precautions no matter their age, Brownville Fire Chief Ryan McIntosh advised. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times
Bicycle helmets sold at Walmart on outer Arsenal Street in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times
Caleb T. Weygandt, 14, of Dexter, died last month after a collision with a truck while riding his bicycle. Provided photo
Bicycles and helmets sold at Walmart on outer Arsenal Street in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times 7/27/22
Bicycles and helmets sold at Walmart on outer Arsenal Street in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times 7/27/22
Rich Little, of the City of Watertown Fire Department, demonstrates ways to use a pulley system in a rescue situation to students gathered on a field trip learning about careers in the STEAM fields at the Watertown Rapids home stadium at the fairgrounds in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times
A bicycle sits parked outside of Strader’s Ice Cream in Sackets Harbor on East Main Street. Skateboarders, scooter riders and motorized bikers should wear a helmet and take precautions no matter their age, Brownville Fire Chief Ryan McIntosh advised. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times
Bicycle helmets sold at Walmart on outer Arsenal Street in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times
Caleb T. Weygandt, 14, of Dexter, died last month after a collision with a truck while riding his bicycle. Provided photo
Bicycles and helmets sold at Walmart on outer Arsenal Street in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times 7/27/22
WATERTOWN — Following last month’s car-bicycle collision in Dexter that killed 14-year-old Caleb T. Weygandt, his family members and first responders are bringing bicycle safety to the fore.
On June 28, Caleb was riding his bicycle and traveling south on Liberty Street when his bike collided with a pickup truck, throwing him from his bike.
Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies said Caleb was responsive, but significantly injured after the crash and was airlifted to Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, where he later died from his injuries. The driver of the truck was not injured or found to be at fault, according to deputies.
Brownville Fire Chief Ryan McIntosh said that Caleb was not wearing his helmet at the time of the crash, which has sparked conversations on bicycle safety.
Susan Weygandt, Caleb’s grandmother, is spreading the importance of bicycle safety.
“I strongly want to advocate the use of head protection for both children and adults while riding,” she said.
She said in honor of his grandfather, who spent his professional career in organ and tissue donation, Caleb’s tissue will be donated.
“We know that Caleb’s death and tissue donation will be a precious gift to enhance the life of others,” his grandmother said.
A teacher of his, Rebecca Taylor from the General Brown Central School District, is giving out information about the rules of the road as well as passing out bike helmets that were donated in Caleb’s name, Ms. Weygandt said.
Ms. Taylor said Caleb “truly made a difference in so many lives” as several bike helmets were donated in honor of him.
Ms. Taylor said that many of the helmets are still being handed out to people in the community.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that nationwide nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and more than 130,000 are injured in crashes on U.S. roads each year.
Chief McIntosh said some things people should do while riding a bicycle, no matter how old you are, is wear a helmet, follow the rules of the road, and make sure the brakes on the bicycle work and are in good condition. He also said skateboarders, scooter riders and motorized bikers should wear a helmet and take extra precautions.
For those who ride bicycles at night, Chief McIntosh said to make sure reflectors are working, make sure there is a light in front of the bike as well as the back, and wear reflective clothing.
Drivers should pay attention to the road to ensure the safety of those around them.
“Pay attention to the road; if you can get over and give them some space, give them some space if it’s safe to do so,” he said. “Just slow down when you see anyone, even bikers, runners, anybody that’s out doing something on the road.”
Children who follow the bike safety rules may be in store for a treat from local fire departments and a local police department.
Chief McIntosh said that his department has teamed up with Lickety Split, a Dexter ice cream shop, and has gift certificates from the business stocked in fire trucks. When the department isn’t on an emergency call and members see someone riding a bike with a helmet on, they will stop and talk with the rider and give them a gift certificate for a free kiddie cone from the shop.
The fire department also partners with Samaritan Auxiliary to place stickers inside a person’s helmet with emergency contact information as well as medical history. To alert the fire department that they have the sticker, they will place another sticker on the outside of the helmet. Chief McIntosh also said that the same type of sticker exists for car seats.
After the collision on June 28, Chief McIntosh said he has seen more children riding their bikes with a helmet, and he is hopeful the free ice cream will encourage more people to wear their helmets.
Black River Police Chief Steven C. Wood said he has been doing a similar program since 2017. The program started when he took $25 out of his own pocket and started buying gift certificates for Stewart’s Shops, as there is one in each of the areas he covers, Evans Mills and Black River.
He said if he sees a child not wearing a helmet, he will stop and tell them that if he saw them wearing their helmet that they would receive the gift certificate.
The chief said instead of telling children that it is the law to wear a helmet, he approaches the situation by telling the children that they would be safer if they wore their helmet. If he sees a parent, he’ll remind the parents of the law.
State law says that anyone younger than 14 years old must wear a helmet, move in the direction of traffic, stop at stop signs and yield to pedestrians. These laws also apply to other modes of transportations, such as skateboards and scooters.
“When you walk, you face traffic, but when you’re on a bike you follow traffic,” he said.
He went on to say that although those older than 14 aren’t required by law to wear a helmet, people should strap one on for safety.
The police chief said he started doing the same thing at the Blizzard Barn ice cream shop in Black River, where he would pay for the gift certificates himself. When the owner found out the police chief was doing this, they gave him 10 gift certificates. He said that when he’s in Black River, children he talks to can choose whether to go to Stewart’s or to the Blizzard Barn.
Bicycles and helmets sold at Walmart on outer Arsenal Street in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times 7/27/22
Chief Wood said that one of the latest donors, Black River Electrical Co., donated bike helmets.
“It’s something I’ve been doing since, I want to say, at least 2017. Then it kind of really took off in the past few years because it wasn’t just my $25, it was $100 from this business or $50 from this business,” he said. “I always try to keep those gift certificates on hand, and I have given them multiple times to the same people, but I try to keep that incentive going.”
The Watertown City Fire Department announced it will give ice cream gift certificates to those wearing helmets in a partnership with local Stewart’s Shops.
Rich Little, of the City of Watertown Fire Department, demonstrates ways to use a pulley system in a rescue situation to students gathered on a field trip learning about careers in the STEAM fields at the Watertown Rapids home stadium at the fairgrounds in Watertown. Kara Dry/Watertown Daily Times
City Fire Capt. Richard M. Little said people should have a different mindset when riding a bike.
“It’s a mindset of, ‘I’m on a bike, I’m good to go,’ like every kid does that. I did as a kid; I hopped on my bike and I was good. I didn’t have to stop at a stop sign, ‘I’m on a bike.’ … You still have to follow those vehicle and traffic laws, you have to stop. You have to wait for the green light before you proceed through the intersection. You can’t just come screaming down the sidewalk and run right across the road and think you’re good, because a car could be coming,” he said.
Capt. Little said that drivers need to be paying attention for bicyclists and pedestrians. He said drivers should be on the lookout for “everything.”
“People look for the walking traffic coming off of the sidewalks. They don’t think, ‘Oh gosh, there could be a bicycle coming off that sidewalk.’ And that’s going to be traveling three times, four times as fast, and they can approach so much faster than you’re already looking for,” he said.
Chief Wood said the most important thing is safety.
“It’s all about, obviously, keeping the kids safe,” he said.
Ms. Taylor called Caleb, who was to be in eighth grade at General Brown this fall, “a kind young man that enjoyed riding his bike, playing basketball and spending time with his friends.” She also said he “had an amazing soul and would do anything he could to help others inside and outside of school.”
“Fly high Caleb and spread your wings,” Ms. Taylor said.
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