via GoFundMe
By her family’s account, Jean is a vibrant, active woman whose idea of a good afternoon is a run through Central Park. On one of those afternoons in early July, she headed out the way she always did. She has not been home since.
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On July 7, according to a GoFundMe organized by her niece, Brandi Wiltse, Jean was on an afternoon run through the park when a man riding an electric bike collided with her. What began as an ordinary jog ended with her rushed into emergency surgery.The injuries the family describes are severe. Jean suffered a traumatic brain injury that required emergency cranial surgery, a broken elbow that also required surgery, and deep lacerations that needed skin grafts, according to the fundraiser. She has received three blood transfusions and remains unresponsive in a medically induced coma. The family writes that they are doing everything they can to support her recovery.
Jean does not have a primary support system in New York, so Wiltse’s mother, Jean’s sister, has traveled from Georgia to stay at her bedside. Alongside the medical crisis, the family is now racing to hold onto Jean’s apartment while she is unable to.
That is the reason for the fundraiser, which aims to cover two months of Jean’s rent along with some of her sister’s travel costs between Georgia and New York. Keeping the apartment, the family writes, gives her sister a safe place to stay and spares Jean from waking up to the news that she has lost her home on top of everything else. As of this writing, the campaign had raised more than $22,000 against an $18,000 goal, from over 270 donors.
Wiltse also hopes Jean’s story serves as a warning. She notes on the page that e-bikes can reach speeds north of 20 mph, require no registration or insurance, and are nearly silent as they approach, a combination she argues leaves pedestrians dangerously exposed.
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The concern is echoed by recent research, even if the research is not specific to e-bikes. A study published in April by NYU Langone reviewed more than 900 patients treated at Bellevue over five years for injuries involving bikes and scooters, both electric and pedal-powered, and found that a third suffered traumatic brain injuries and roughly 30 percent required intensive care. One finding stands out for a case like Jean’s: among the pedestrians in the study, those struck by electric devices sustained brain injuries at nearly double the rate of the riders.Neighbors who want to help, or simply share Jean’s story, can find the campaign on GoFundMe.
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