Katie Paysinger
News editor

On Nov. 4, at the intersection of Linfield Avenue and Lever Street, a nine-year-old boy riding his scooter without a helmet was hit by a motor vehicle.
The boy was crossing the street outside of Cook Hall toward the Health, Human, Performance and Athletics complex on his Razor scooter when he was struck by a west-bound vehicle, Steve Macarthey, a traffic officer with the McMinnville Police Department, said. The scooter ended up wedged under the vehicle, but the car was traveling at a slow speed, and no one was injured.
“I saw all the commotion and went to see what was going on,” senior Jana Zitnik said. “I saw a little boy sitting on the ground being examined by paramedics.”
Because of the way vehicles were parked along Linfield Avenue, the boy was unable to see the vehicle before he darted into the road. Under Oregon law, one must cross a crosswalk at pedestrian speed. It is illegal to cross a crosswalk on a bicycle or scooter going at speeds faster than a pedestrian would be walking.
Linfield Campus Safety responded to the scene first and then called the McMinnville Police Department. Officers on the scene decided not to give the young boy a citation. There was a language barrier between the boy’s parents and the officers when they arrived on the scene, but a Linfield maintenance worker assisted the police in communication. A Spanish-speaking police officer was brought in later to translate.
Three vehicles from the fire department were sent, along with five police vehicles. The street was closed from Pioneer Way to just past Lever Street. Officers were there to direct traffic.
Macarthey urged students to use the accident as an example of what can happen when crossing the street unsafely. Students should not cross in crosswalks on bicycles and scooters and should always wear helmets when using these devices, he said.
“If you’re a bicyclist or pedestrian involved in a motor vehicle collision, and you are found at fault, you might not be covered by insurance and will then be responsible for all medical costs,” Macarthey said.
Insurance companies will sometimes look at what the damages would have been if the persons involved were or were not wearing a helmet and use will those figures to determine payments.