CNN's John Roberts In Thanksgiving Bike Accident — Saved By Helmet!

CNN's John Roberts had a rough Thanksgiving — but it could have been a lot rougher if he hadn't been wearing a helmet.

Roberts, an avid cyclist, was biking in Central Park on Thursday afternoon when a car pulled out suddenly in front of him, causing him to collide with a jogger. Both Roberts and the jogger, a woman, were taken away in ambulances.

"It happened so fast, I couldn't even react," Roberts told ETP via email. "One second the road was clear — the next, a car was blocking it. I was on my head in a heartbeat...Thank God for helmets."

Thank God, indeed — amazingly, Roberts was able to rally and go on air the next morning before taking a few planned days off before heading to Tampa for debate coverage on Wednesday. To the right is a shot of Roberts' helmet (kindly provided by Roberts) with the kind of dent that you'd rather not have in your head. "I never get on a bicycle or motorcycle without a helmet and am I glad," said Roberts. "I don't know where I'd be right now if I hadn't been wearing one. But I sure wouldn't have been on the air the next day. At the very least, I would have had a lot of stitches and abrasions — at worst, a cracked skull and brain injury."

Roberts had to have stitches in his right hand after the impact of the fall ("skin and Central Park asphalt don't mix") but says he's more concerned about what happened to the woman he collided with — they left in separate ambulances and the last he heard is that she may have broken her nose. "I feel terrible... I'm sure her Thanksgiving was ruined," said Roberts.

As for the driver of the car that started it all, he/she did not stick around to see how the two crumpled athletes on the pavement were doing, alas. (Roberts says that he wasn't sure the driver even knew what happened.) For now he is resting up and plans to return to air Wednesday live from Tampa — and is adding "helmets" to the list of things he is thankful for.

Comments

[DLV]

The real question is WHY was a car actually driving in the park on Thanksgiving day? Both Central and Prospect Parks are closed to automobiles on holidays. The driver should be ticketed for this infraction as well as charged for causing the accident.

[godlessclif]

Electric bikes only.

[dlkincaid]

As angy as I am during this year of CNNism - there's a part of me that is thankful this man didn't get hur and the other part wonders if he will continue to lie as much as Tony Snow.

[PlanetKansas]

I was a gearhead 30 years ago. In those days, only olympic racers had helmets and spandex. I had an Epiphany after my 3rd near death experience when a motorist clipped me.

I ditched my 12 speeds and bought a simple cruiser, slowed everything down, and never rode on a busy city street again.

Every bike path today has hazards like walkers, joggers, dogs, and obsticles, so going fast is safe only in a velodrome or an official bike race. Did this guy actually think he could race his bike in Central Park safely???

Most bike crashes are caused by speed, and anyone wearing spandex, a fancy bike and only 2 miles of bike path is soon to find trouble of their own making.

[hopeless277]

Pity.

[Chavez08]

The Hair Helmet took most of the impact.

[xenubarb]

I support Darwin's theory. I'm against helmet laws. However, I ride a motorcycle and always wear a full-face helmet. Those beanie helmets you see Harley owners wearing are useless. It's their protest, like, "If you're gonna make me wear a helmet, I'll wear one that doesn't protect my head, so there. Neener neener."

The purpose of that attitude eludes me.

[pdferguson]

I had a similar experience on Christmas Eve a few years ago. Came around a blind corner on a bike trail to discover a family of walkers spread across both lanes, grabbed my brakes on wet pavement and went down in a flash. Helmet was broken in two. Been riding bicycles and motorcycles for more than four decades, first time I ever needed the protection of a helmet. As the old saying goes, once is all it takes...

[Economike]

Helmets are for wusses.

[Joeblue]

Was Rove driving the car.

[kartoon]

JR should head back home to Toronto where he belongs. NO chance of bike accidents there this time of year unless you are stark raving mad and head out into the slush and black ice on a bike to your certain doom.

[avicenna]

As a biking commuter in cycle-friendly Vancouver, I can vouch for the thankfulness that envelopes you when you see a dent in the helmet and realize how close you were to turning into a vegetable. I was hit by an SUV that was filled with children headed to a baseball game - and being a light gal - went flying 15 feet landing (thankfully again) on a patch of grass and on my back. The ambulance attendant took one look at my helmet and said without it - I would have been their next organ donor. Note to all ambulance attendants: no need to offer such words of wisdom in such circumstances - it isn't helpful for those more vulnerable to shock.

[SamEllison]

To note an old headline about a baseball player. Head x-rayed - nothing found.

Well John there are now 8 people with broken noses suing you. NY is a bitch :)

[frantaylor]

There has been a concerted effort for a number of years to ban all cars from Central Park at all times, because there is a disturbing number of accidents like this. See transalt.org