Hilton Head bicyclist hit, ‘seriously injured’ on south end Monday evening

A 30-year-old bicyclist is recovering in the hospital after she was hit by a car on Hilton Head Island Monday evening, according to S.C. Highway Patrol officials.

The Hilton Head bicyclist was heading west on a Pope Avenue bike path around 7:30 p.m. Monday when she disregarded the pathway stop sign and was struck by a 2003 Chevrolet SUV turning right onto Cordillo Parkway, Lance Cpl. Matt Southern with the Highway Patrol said Wednesday.

She was transported by helicopter to a local hospital, Joheida Fister with the Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue said Wednesday. There, she was treated for suspected serious injuries, Southern added.

Southern said the Highway Patrol report indicated the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet, and was thrown from the bike.

The 82-year-old driver of the SUV was also from Hilton Head, and sustained no injuries during the collision.

Bike safety on Hilton Head Island

May marked National Bike Month, and Hilton Head officials distributed bike and pedestrian safety information in the Spring town newsletter.

Here are some tips to follow:

• Bike on a pathway if one is available. If there isn’t a pathway along the road, bike with traffic; walk facing traffic.

• Be predictable. Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections when possible.

• Wear bright clothing during the day, and wear reflective materials (especially on arms, legs and feet) or use a flashlight at night.

• Always yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

But town staff cautions against coming to sudden stops to encourage crossings of high-speed roads such as U.S. 278.

“It is somewhat common on Hilton Head Island to see drivers – as a gesture of kindness - suddenly stop at un-signalized crosswalks and wave waiting pedestrians into the roadway. Although these drivers are trying to be courteous, they may put the pedestrians, themselves and other motorists in danger or cause an accident,” town engineer Jeff Buckalew wrote in the newsletter.

This story was originally published June 19, 2019 at 11:04 AM.

Katherine Kokal

The Island Packet

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Katherine Kokal graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and joined The Island Packet newsroom in 2018. Before moving to the Lowcountry, she worked as an interviewer and translator at a nonprofit in Barcelona and at two NPR member stations. At The Island Packet, Katherine covers Hilton Head Island’s government, environment, development, beaches and the all-important Loggerhead Sea Turtle. She has earned South Carolina Press Association Awards for in-depth reporting, government beat reporting, business beat reporting, growth and development reporting, food writing and for her use of social media.

Lana Ferguson

The Island Packet

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Lana Ferguson typically covers stories in northern Beaufort County, Jasper County and Hampton County. She joined The Island Packet & Beaufort Gazette in 2018 as a crime/breaking news reporter. Before coming to the Lowcountry, she worked for publications in her home state of Virginia and graduated from the University of Mississippi, where she was editor-in-chief of the daily student newspaper. Lana was also a fellow at the University of South Carolina’s Media Law School in 2019. Support my work with a digital subscription