A female biker was rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital yesterday after colliding with a skateboarder on the corner of Pardall Road and Embarcadero del Mar.

The accident occurred at 12:20 p.m. when the two UCSB students crashed into each other near Silvergreen’s restaurant. The biker, who onlookers say was named “Lena,” fell to the ground and subsequently suffered a seizure and a serious head injury.

The boarder, undeclared second-year student Wayne Huang, said he initially thought this accident would be similar to others he has seen in I.V. and on campus and he did not expect anyone to get injured.

“At first I thought I would fall and scrape myself up. And then I opened my eyes and she was on the ground freaking out,” Huang said. “I just feel really bad because she fell pretty hard. I really hope she’s okay.”

Amanda Hill, second-year communication major and the Daily Nexus’ layout editor, passed by the scene right after the crash. Hill, who is CPR/AED and first aid certified, rushed to help the bicyclist after realizing the severity of the situation.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Oh, it’s just another bike accident,’ but then she started seizing,” Hill said. “Then I decided to help.”

Hill noted that the biker sustained a large lesion to her head.

“I made sure that her head wound had pressure on it so that she wouldn’t lose that much blood,” she said.

Hill and an unidentified male helped the incoherent bicyclist until ambulances arrived, at which time the victim regained consciousness. According to Hill, onlookers at the scene did not offer assistance.

“There was a guy that was really pissed off because people kept riding by as if nothing was going on, while there was obviously a girl bleeding on the ground,” Hill said.

Witnesses Nick Williams and Tara Davies said this accident was one of the worst they had ever seen at UCSB.

“I saw her pull her hand back from her head, and her hand was covered in blood,” Davies, a third-year English major, said. “People were getting out of their cars and bike traffic was stopped. It was really crazy.”

Williams described the scene as the bicyclist was transported from the scene.

“I saw her get carried off in a stretcher by a fire truck,” he said. “I [saw] blood all over the street.”

According to Huang, many UCSB students can be careless while commuting.

“I assume she was coming back from class and I was going to class,” Huang said. “Because [riding to-and-from class] is part of routine, people tend to pay less attention.”

Huang said this experience taught him firsthand how hazardous distractions can be while on wheels.

“I wear my headphones and I’m probably going to put in one ear because it can be dangerous. I’ve almost gotten into a bunch of accidents [prior to this one].”

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