A bicycle rider from Fremont is very fortunate to escape serious injury after crashing while riding on HWY 64 in Valley.
Thanks to his bicycle helmet, he only suffered minor injuries from the spill.
The man, Jim Snyder, spends a whole lot of time on his bike.
"I average 4,000-plus miles per year," says Snyder.
But he has never experienced anything like he did Monday morning, when he was riding to work on HWY 64 in Valley. Snyder hit a chunk of asphalt on the side of the road, sending him flying to the ground.
“Landed on my head, skidded about 15 feet, (I was) conscious for the whole thing," says Snyder.
The crash broke his collarbone, bruised him up and separated part of his skin from the muscle.
"I never had nothing where it launched the bike in the air the way it did. I was going 23 MPH and it happened so fast that there wasn't a whole lot I could do," says Snyder.
His saving grace was his helmet, which took the brunt of the impact.
“Things could have been a lot worse. I didn't see the helmet until I got back from Bergan Mercy to get my bike and stuff and I saw the helmet and it's cracked in actually three places," says Snyder.
Snyder is using the accident as an opportunity to educate youngsters on the importance of wearing headgear, even singling out kids at his local bike shop.
“A gentleman and his daughter were looking at helmets and my wife and I showed her my helmet and what could happen. She didn't say a whole lot but I think she realized that a helmet was a good idea."
While the crash will slow him down for a couple weeks, Snyder has no plans of parking his bicycle.
“Oh no, I'm ready to go, I've already registered for the Cornhusker State Games three months ago so I've got eight weeks before those."
