LAKEWOOD, Ohio (WOIO) – A vehicle hit a bicycle Monday morning with a child tote attached carrying a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old.
According to the Lakewood Fire Department, the accident happened on the 15700 block of Madison Avenue around 8:20 a.m.
A 1-year-old and 3-year-old were taken to the hospital, Lakewood Fire said.
The bicyclist denied treatment from EMS on scene.
19 News learned a Lakewood father was taking his 1- and 3-year-old to daycare when they were struck. A family member said everyone is okay, but the 3-year-old is at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and could need surgery.
Jack Granzier works at the blue café on Madison Avenue.
“People like speed through Lakewood really fast a lot and I see it all the time and I was working here when the accident happened a couple months ago,” said Granzier. “It was just horrible.”
He’s seen other close calls at the intersection where Hilliard meets Madison Avenue.
“This is Lakewood and it’s like this a walkable city and this makes people not want to do that I feel like if this keeps happening.”
Former 19 News’ reporter Bill Safos was struck by a vehicle at the same intersection late last year. The driver in that case was charged with felony aggravated vehicular homicide. Safos’ family filed a lawsuit claiming 29-year-old Zachary Saliba was driving recklessly.
19 News spoke with two girls who go to Harding Middle School which is just a couple blocks away.
“I always really feel nervous crossing the street over here especially because people like blow through the lights,” said Aleiyah Wise.
“We see cars like flying by all the time when we walk to school too and yeah it’s just like really dangerous,” Josie Duffey said.
A Lakewood resident started a petition on Monday calling for a traffic study and asking the city to install speed bumps, stop signs, better signage, and crosswalks. The petition has already garnered hundreds of signatures.
“I’ve had to cross here a couple times and I got confused a little bit with the signs and stuff it’s a little bit confusing sometimes,” said Duffey.
According to the family of the cyclist, the driver involved did stop.
19 News received the following statement from the Lakewood mayor’s office:
“On the morning of Monday, March 24, 2025, a collision occurred at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Hilliard Boulevard involving an automobile and a bicyclist with two children in an attached trailer. We are relieved and thankful to report that nobody involved sustained serious injuries. The automobile driver was cited in the incident for Failure to Yield Right of Way.
The Lakewood City Engineer and other trained personnel have analyzed the vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic at this intersection. As an initial measure, the City has determined to mark the four crosswalks that span Madison and Hilliard with high-visibility striping. Additionally, green paint will be placed in the bike lanes as they approach the intersection. These measures are designed to enhance the visibility of our bicycle and pedestrian traffic and will be prioritized as soon as conditions allow.
The City is also in the process of retaining an outside engineering firm to advise on additional safety measures. This firm will work with the Lakewood City Engineer and our safety forces to ensure that proposed measures improve safety and do not give rise to unanticipated risk.
Our residents understand that this is a very busy intersection. We urge all travelers—vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists alike—to avoid distraction and to observe all traffic rules including posted speed limits, lane assignments, proper yielding/recognition of right-of-way, and traffic signals, and to share our travel corridors so that everyone can arrive at their destination safely. Further, we urge travelers to be aware of environmental conditions such as wet or icy roads, and low visibility due to weather or time of day/night.”
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