Valpo teen hit by semi crossing U.S. 30 on bike in the dark
Post-Tribune staff report October 15, 2012 1:30PM
Updated: November 17, 2012 6:16AM
VALPARAISO — A 16-year-old Valparaiso male is expected to make a full recovery after he was struck by a tractor-trailer while crossing U.S. 30 in the dark on his bicycle Saturday.
When he does, he may be charged with underage drinking, as he admitted to paramedics he drank a bottle of wine before he and three friends made the excursion to Wal-Mart on U.S. 30 to get snacks.
The teen broke his pelvis, tailbone and a leg, but he was conscious and standing when first-responders arrived at about 3:50 a.m. at the scene — a stretch of highway between Strongbow Centre and Industrial drives without pedestrian, bicycle or other crossings. Police estimate the eastbound tractor-trailer was traveling between 45 and 50 mph when the teen pulled onto the road and hit the front corner of the truck.
The three friends, who had not consumed alcohol, told police they saw the truck and stopped for it, but the fourth kept riding and was hit before they could yell a warning. He “flew off his bike and was doing flips in the air,” before landing in the grassy median, one told police.
A portable breath-alcohol test conducted at Porter Regional Hospital showed the injured teen had a blood-alcohol level of 0.111 percent. He was transported to a South Bend hospital, his mother told police. She said he did not receive any head injuries or brain damage.
