WEST JORDAN, Utah — During the school year, you can always catch Aiden Hulet rolling into West Jordan High School bright and early on two wheels to meet with friends and talk to teachers.
“Aiden’s always happy, always social, likes to talk to friends, and definitely an asset to our classroom,” shared Sheldon Russell, the school's Life Skills Special Education teacher.
“Aiden has made it a point to come talk to me on multiple occasions, just about everyday life," said Det. Austin Larson, the school resource officer. "So, me and him have got to know each other pretty well.”
Aiden is a friend to all at the school, so in a time of need, the connections he built showed up to lend him a helping hand after he was hit by a car while riding his beloved bike.
“I was trying to stop, but my brakes wouldn’t work properly,” Aiden explained.
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While the bike was destroyed, Aiden walked away from the accident with just a few scratches on his chest. But the scary experience wasn’t taken lightly, especially by those inside at the high school.
“First of all, I wanted to make sure he was OK," Russell said. "Aiden is very responsible as far as getting himself to and from school. He uses TRAX, UTA independently, and our biggest worry was because he was out of the boundaries, trying to get him here to school safely.”
That wasn't a worry for very long, thanks to Detective Larson.
“I decided to start asking around the department. After asking just a few people, somebody had a bike they just wanted to give out and were willing to give,” he explained.
To Aiden’s surprise, the new bike and a helmet were waiting for him.
Peddling ahead, the West Jordan Police Department is urging drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians to use caution when taking to the roads.
“Drivers are responsible for looking out for the general public, whether they’re in the crosswalk, coming out of a parking lot, crossing a sidewalk to go onto a main road," Austin said. "Same goes for bikers, they have to follow the same rules as vehicles do in traffic.”
As for Aiden, he says he’ll be taking safety precautions whenever he gets behind the handlebars.
“I was excited. My mom told me about everything," he explained. "All summer, I’ll be riding it if I need to go somewhere.”
