Student injured by curb not car

Megan Wilkinson

Dan Hazlett, sophomore visual communication design major, rides his bike to and from class every day whether it snows, rains or shines.

“I ride my bike a lot,” Hazlett said. “A lot of people know me as the guy who rides his bike during winter classes.”

Hazlett was riding back to his dorms from a sociology exam when his brakes stopped working. He hit the curb to avoid a collision with a car by Centennial A Wednesday around 2:30 p.m.

Kent State University police reports said they originally thought a car hit him, but new reports found that the car was not directly involved in Hazlett’s incident. Police said he just fell off his bike.

Hazlett said the main problem was that his bike brakes were not working well due to the rain. He said after he veered away from the car, he bumped into the curb of the sidewalk and flew onto the sidewalk.

“It wasn’t the car’s fault at all that I fell,” Hazlett said. “The car was going really slow, anyway.”

Hazlett received minor injuries from the fall. He said he has scrapes on his face, hands and knees. He said an ambulance came to take him to Robinson Memorial Hospital after his incident.

“My face hit the pavement when I fell,” he said. “My face is all messed up now, and I’m wearing bandages on the right side of my face. I may have these scars for a while.”

Hazlett was carrying a backpack with his laptop and books on his ride to the Tri-Towers. He said everything is OK except a wristwatch and his bike.

Hazlett said he is grateful that people were there to help.

“Everyone who saw it were really helpful,” he said. “I’m thankful people stuck around.”

Contact Megan Wilkinson at [email protected].