Fort Wayne, IN
Our prayers at HuntingtonDaily.com are with Stan Bippus and Jeremy Winkelman today as they were both injured yesterday after they were hit by a semi while on a cross country bike ride to help raise funds and awareness for cerebral palsy. The bike ride, name Jeremy’s Ride, started in San Diego, California and was schedule to end in St. Augustine, Florida sometime today.
At 3:55pm yesterday Jeremy and Stan were hit by a passing semi on State Road 16 in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Stan was airlifted to Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida where he remains in critical condition in Intensive care today, with several broken ribs and a punctured lung as well as other injuries. Jeremey suffered a broken collar bone in the accident.
Information about Jeremy’s Ride can be found at http://jeremysride.blogspot.com/
9-24-08 UPDATE: Huntingtondaily.com found this reference to the accident from an eyewitness. LINK
UPDATE: Throughout the day HuntingtonDaily.com was trying to obtain information on this accident. In the process of doing so we contact the local news organizations in Florida. After explaining the details we were aware of, the Jacksonville paper the Florida Times-Union did additional investigation of the accident and they have since posted an article. The text of that article is posted below with permission from the Florida Tims-Union.
Just miles from ending cross-country benefit trek, misfortune strikes pair
A man on a cross-country benefit bicycle ride was in critical condition Thursday, a day after he and a nephew with cerebral palsy were struck riding along Florida 16 in Clay County.
Stan Bippus, a retired school administrator, and Jeremy Winkelman were on the last leg of a trip to St. Augustine from San Diego when they were struck by a truck Wednesday, a family member said.
Bippus had seven broken ribs, a punctured lung and other injuries, said his stepdaughter Michelle Maher. Winkelman, whose blog describes him as a 29-year-old undertaking the trip to show young people that handicaps can be overcome, broke his collarbone, Maher said.
Details of the 3:55 p.m. accident near Green Cove Springs were not available from the Florida Highway Patrol Thursday. Bippus was in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville. Winkelman was not listed in the hospital’s public records.
According to the last entry on the Jeremy’s Ride blog, the men were in Starke at 1:45 p.m.
Wednesday and heading 28 miles to Green Cove Springs. They estimated they had another 15 miles to St. Augustine.
“Today has been great so far,” Bippus wrote.
Bippus and Winkelman, of Huntington, Ind., left San Diego on Easter Sunday to begin the 3,100-mile trip, according to their blog. Winkelman’s father and another uncle accompanied the men in a van, Maher said.
Dana Treen
The article can be found here:
http://news.jacksonville.com/justin/2008/09/18/just-miles-from-ending-cross-country-benefit-trek-misfortune-strikes-pair/
God Bless Stan and Jeremy! I wish them a speedy recovery. I hope that they are able to safely continue on their journey in the future! =]
My Prayers and thoughts are with Stan and Jeremy and their families.
Thanks for reporting this. I have biked with Stan and he is a great guy. I didn’t see this in the Herald Press so I’m glad you had it here! We’ll be praying for them!