Community Corner
Local Bike Technician Seriously Injured In Riding Mishap
His riding partner says the accident is a lesson to always be prepared and keep safety first.
A service technician from Wheel and Sprocket in Fox Point is recovering from serious injuries sustained in a mountain biking accident Friday.
Kevin Plato suffered a shattered vertebra, punctured lung and other broken bones when he flew over the handlebars of his bike and hit a tree, according to his riding partner, Wheel and Sprocket service manager Rich Travis.
Travis said the mishap shows that even experienced riders can be at risk.
"(We are) two 20-plus year seasoned mountain bikers," Travis said. "When we're out we don't take anything for granted."
Yet while riding Friday on the John Muir Trail in the Kettle Moraine, the unthinkable happened.
From what Travis can surmise, his partner hit an obstacle obscured by overgrowth that is a product of the season's heavy rain. Plato's bike -- which emerged undamaged -- stopped immediately and Plato was thrown into a large tree.
One stroke of good fortune is that a store customer who was invited along on the ride is an emergency room doctor, Travis said. Even though she was ahead of the accident, she was able to return, assess Plato's condition and help get him out.
"I've been riding that exact trail since the '80s," Travis said "I've seen things out there, but nothing like this."
Travis said Plato is out of the hospital. Anyone who would like to convey get-well wishes can send them through Rich.Travis@wheelandsprocket.net.
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