Alderman Helps Save Cyclist Hit By Car
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th), a former lifeguard, came to the rescue of a young man who was clobbered by a car as he rode his bicycle through a Northwest Side intersection on Thursday.
O'Connor said he'd spoken with the young man as O'Connor was on his scooter and the man was on his bike, waiting for a green light at the intersection of Lincoln and Peterson Avenues at about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.
"When I was waiting at the light, he pulled up, we both said hello to one another, he went through and this woman hit him right in front of me," O'Connor said.
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The young man's bike was equipped with a motor boost and, when the light turned green, he took off and promptly went flying from the bike after he was hit by a car turning into his lane.
O'Connor said he dismounted his motor scooter, protected the young man from traffic, then used a towel to stop the flow of blood bad cut on the top of the victim's head.
O'Connor said he knew automatically what to do because of his training as a former Chicago Park District lifeguard.
O'Connor said the young man, Albert Yonen, knew his name but not his age, when he was checked out by paramedics. He was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital for treatment.
Yonen was in good condition Thursday afternoon. O'Connor said Yonen needed eight to ten stitches for the cut on his head.
