TUALATIN, Ore. — It was a close call for a Tualatin preschool teacher who went for a bike ride earlier this month, ending with her severely injured on the side of the road with no memory of what happened.
Saturday, Oct. 7, started off like any other day for the Lopuszynski Family.
"I woke up and I went to farmer's market to get out to get some fresh air," said Karina Lopuszynski.
Lopuszynski, a preschool teacher, purchased her e-bike a week before that fateful ride. She said she then went for a ride to go check out the new school she was going to work at, but she didn't make it. Eight miles into the ride, she crashed.
Her mother, Dori Lopuszynski, got "the call" from a stranger.
"I answered it and the woman said to me, 'Are you Karina's mom?' I could hear Karina screaming in the background for me. So, at least I knew she was alive," said Dori.
The crash took place just after 3:30 p.m. at Southwest Blake Street and Southwest Boones Ferry Road. Dori said that it was a nurse who happened to see Karina injured on the side of the road and called her.
"What she said to me was, 'She's alive mom, we don't know if she's been hit by a car or just an accident,'" Dori recalled.
Karina was taken to OHSU and was able to go home the same night. Luckily, she walked away with only a cheekbone fracture and lacerations.
Almost two weeks later, the family still doesn't know what happened.
"I don't remember, but somebody told me that I might have gotten run off the road," said Karina.
According to the CDC, nearly 1,000 bicyclists die on the roads in the United States every year. Karina credits her helmet for not adding to that statistic.
"I just look at it and I'm like, 'Wow' ... honestly, like, if this was my head, I wouldn't be alive right now," said Karina.
The bike still looks brand new. Karina and her helmet took most of the damage. For the Lopuszynski family, that makes for a second life saved thanks to a helmet.
"My son, who's five years younger than her, when he was just 5 he got in a bike accident, and his head went headfirst into a truck and he had his helmet on and a helmet saved his life. So we are huge helmet believers in this household," said Dori.
Karina almost purchased a cheaper, more fashionable helmet when she bought her bike. She ultimately opted for a more expensive, more durable helmet by the company Thousand. It may have been more expensive than most, but it has proven to be invaluable.
Karina's doctor told her she can't ride a bike for six weeks. She said despite what she went through, she's eager to ride her new bike again.