For over a decade, the annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race has brought big-time fun to Potrero Hill in the form of tiny bikes, trikes, and powerwheels, among other vehicles. The race has been a hit with residents and participants alike, though as ABC7 reports, an injury of a spectator at this year’s race has some concerned about just how big the event has gotten.
45-year-old Shiho Schummer was watching the race and taking pictures. When she thought the race was over, she attempted to walk across the course to see her daughter, only to be hit by a racer coming around a blind corner on the Vermont St. course.
Schummer suffered a fractured skull and would’ve died had it not been for the help of bystanders and an emergency surgery.
Schummer is expected to survive and her family isn’t looking to sue BYOBW; they simply say that they want want more safety measures implemented.
Many residents came to the race’s defense, praising the organizer’s care and conscientiousness towards neighbors, participants, and spectators.
“You take on certain risks when you’re in an environment where things can happen and she certainly had to be aware if she was watching the race” an area resident said.
The race has ballooned from 30 people at its beginnings in 2006 to well over 1,000 just this past weekend. Potrero Hill resident Ross Barringer tells ABC7 that “considering how many years they’ve done it and how few incidents there have been, I don’t really know what they could do to make it any better.”
