'Caution but no fear.' Anonymous donor buys new bike for boy hurt in Plain Township crash
PLAIN TWP. ‒ A 9-year-old injured in a Labor Day accident has a new bike, courtesy of an anonymous donor, to replace a smaller one ruined in the crash.
Jordan Owens collected his new wheels from Ernie's Bike Shop in North Canton. The silver 24-inch Trek has eight times as many gears as his old ride.
Jordan said the new bicycle is better and faster than the two-wheeler he rode into the side of a van at Norriton Circle and Bretton Street NW on Sept. 4. He said it felt good to have someone buy the bike for him.
Boy, mother and stepfather appreciate generosity
"I just want to make sure that the benefactor knows that he is loving it," said stepfather David Swiney.
"That is very nice and generous of that person to do that for Jordan and he is more than excited to start riding a bike again," his mother Heather Swiney wrote in an email. "We were thinking of getting him another bike in the summer and he did get a new bike helmet for Christmas."
The donor made the offer to a Repository staff writer on Feb. 3 after reading the newspaper's story about the conclusion of the criminal case against the van driver who left the scene of the accident in which Jordan was injured.
Donor wants boy to experience life 'with caution but no fear'
"I hope this one bad incident does not deter him from getting back on the bike and experiencing life with caution but no fear," the donor wrote.
If Jordan has any fear, he doesn't show it. It's another matter for the adults in his life.
"We're worried about him now," David Swiney said. "So whenever he rides his bike, we go out there with him to make sure nothing happens."
Jordan remains an enthusiastic cyclist, eagerly taking to the road after rain gave way to sunshine on a recent afternoon.
David Swiney recently had to warn Jordan to stay away from a car that was leaving a driveway.
"He's not always paying attention," the stepfather said. "We're trying to get him to pay attention more."
A quick ride down the hill, then 'bam'
On the day of the crash, the North Canton Primary School second grader rode up the hill on Norriton Circle south of Bretton Street NW, having left his helmet behind.
"I should have listened to my brain, but I didn't," Jordan said. "I left the helmet and I just rode it up the hill. I went down -- bam," he said, recounting the moment he hit the van. "I think I also flew up in the air and then I smacked down on the ground."
The accident was his fault. He didn't heed a stop sign.
The impact with the asphalt left him with what his stepfather calls a "Harry Potter scar" on his forehead.
Jordan was in Akron Children's Hospital from Sept. 4 to Oct. 13 recovering from his injuries.
"He's had a really rough recovery. But he actually did recover a lot faster than everyone thought he would," David Swiney said. "He's very full of energy. He's a great kid, does good in school."
Jordan spent six hours a day in rehabilitation at Akron Children's after being released from the hospital.
He still takes still takes medicine to prevent seizures and participates in speech and occupational therapies.
Court case concludes: Plain Twp. man who left scene of crash that injured boy pleads guilty to reduced charge
Recovery: Plain Township boy injured in bicycle crash expected to leave hospital soon
Labor Day: Man, 75, charged after boy, 8, on bike crashes into van in Plain Township
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Anonymous donor gives new bike to Jordan Owen who hit van
