Friends of St. Louis Cyclist Severely Injured in CWE Seek Help
Hazel Jenkins suffered a crushed pelvis and broken ankle after being struck by a car last month
Friends of a St. Louis bicyclist severely injured in the Central West End last month are reaching out to the community for help.
Hazel Jenkins was riding home from work at a dialysis center when a driver hit her as she was making a left turn.
Jenkins had to spend nearly a week in the hospital with a crushed ankle and broken pelvis. According to a GoFundMe page that has been set up for her, "She has a long road to recovery ahead, and is losing out on much-needed income in the meantime."
Not long after being struck on her way home, last week the Jenkins' family, which includes a young son, Marshall, had their e-bikes stolen, an especially serious blow for a family that doesn't own a car.
"We’re eager to do all we can to support the Jenkins family as they rebuild their lives amid multiple challenges right now," wrote Patrick Van Der Tuin, the executive director of St. Louis BWorks, who setup the GoFundMe.
BWorks is a nonprofit in Soulard that enables kids to have access to bicycles as well as teaching them bicycle safety. The organization also helps kids learn about computers and, by completing coursework, earn a desktop computer of their own.
Jenkins' husband, Quorey, is a member of the BWorks staff. Van Der Tuin described him as critical to both the bicycle and computer missions of the nonprofit.
The past several months have seen a heightened awareness of traffic violence as numerous pedestrians and bicyclists in the St. Louis have been injured or killed by cars.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, deaths of pedestrians due to being struck by cars increased significantly during the pandemic, with 7,485 pedestrian deaths in 2021. Fatalities also soared in Missouri in recent years, with St. Louis city and county seeing a combined 42 pedestrian deaths last year and 395 injuries.
A report by the GHSA states that the increase in deaths is due to the proliferation of speeding, impaired and distracted driving, and other dangerous driving behaviors.
Last night, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones spoke at a North Grand Traffic Calming Community meeting, where she highlighted her plan to spend $40 million of American Rescue Plan money to make city streets safer.
Jones' Communications Director Nick Desideri tweeted that St. Louis Streets Department Director Betherny Williams spoke at the meeting, saying, “Many aldermen have already done traffic studies in their wards, and it’s time we use some of this money to pull these studies off the shelf, specifically in high-crash areas.”
You can read more about Hazel Jenkins via the GoFundMe setup for her, where you can also donate.
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