Teen seriously injured after being hit by car while riding bike in Lynn

CBS News

31-07-2025

A teenage boy was seriously hurt after he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Lynn on Wednesday.
"It was a frightening sound, and I was pretty much ready for the worst when I came out," said John Robert Gardner.
That frightening sound woke Gardner from his sleep Wednesday afternoon. The off-duty paramedic was resting before his overnight shift, and then suddenly rendering aid right outside his front door.
"I heard an incredibly loud bang and immediately afterwards heard somebody moaning and yelling," he recalled.
"Boom! I see the bicycle and said oh my! Screaming! The kid was screaming 'I love you mom!'" said another witness.
A sixteen-year-old riding his bike was hit just before 4:30 Wednesday afternoon near Cottage and Woodman streets. Witnesses say he was conscious and talking but had suffered serious injuries to his head.
"It was an obvious trauma. He had hit the windshield. It was a significant impact. The bike was thrown a ways. I would estimate his body was thrown about 10 feet," Gardner said.
Just a block from Barry Park, parents and neighbors seemed solemn at the sight of that abandoned bicycle in the road.
"I feel so bad because I have the kids. When I see the little kid, I said oh my son. He's not my kid but I feel right now, you know?" a mother said.
"There needs to be more at this crossing; Blinking lights, something. We're constantly hollering at cars going way too fast down here. It was only a matter of time. Based on what I saw it looks like we got pretty well lucky this time," Gardner said.
Investigators are still piecing together the moments leading up to this crash but say the driver did remain on scene.