Malone Letter Karen Wright Malone
701 Longford Drive
Southlake, TX 76092
November 3,2015
Mayor Hill, City Council and Citizens of Southlake,
My statement tonight comes from the heart of a mother who is devastated every day by the loss
of my son and my purpose is to raise awareness of the need for comprehensive improved bike
safety.
Tonight our city will review for approval a proposal to change the age requirement for wearing a
bicycle helmet from age 14 years and under to age 17 years and under.
My concern with the focus and attention on this bike helmet proposal is the possibility that the
other necessary parts of bike safety are not given their importance -- driver and cyclist education,
better signage and lighting in our neighborhoods and more clearly marked warnings.
Also integral to the drive for this proposal is the implication that Cole would have lived if he had
been wearing his bike helmet. This is categorically not true. The impact to his head was so
severe that both the neurosurgeon and the trauma surgeon told us within the first hours at the
hospital that a helmet would have made no difference. The crash was so devastating. The
driver's vehicle struck Cole's head four separate times. When a vehicle is involved,the crash is
so significantly compounded.
Cole was crossing in a white-striped crosswalk. Over these past months I have asked many
adults and teens what protection they thought the marked crosswalk provided. Almost all
thought bikes and pedestrians both were protected in the crosswalk. Did Cole think he was
protected and traffic would yield to him? Unfortunately I cannot ask him. So we must do more
to make everyone aware of bikes and their place on the road. Myself and Cole's extended
family plan to honor Cole's life with initiatives to address bike education and safety,driver
education and improved signage, warnings and awareness on neighborhood streets.
In closing, I want to again thank the overall Southlake community for the tremendous support I
have received. Until Cole's death, I could have never understood the pain unique to a parent who
has lost a child. From the beginning and continuing still,the support has been humbling and has
helped me in so many ways.
Sincerely,
Karen Wright Malone