Gaylord Child Hurt While Biking Teams Up With Cop, Gives Away Free Helmets

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's a story we've often shared: A child in a serious bike accident. However, this story, unlike some others, has a happy ending.

Holden Abrahams, 13, still can't use his arm, but he's much better off than he was. In May, he was hit by a car while riding his bike near a park in Gaylord. He wasn't wearing a helmet and ended up at HCMC with a brain bleed.

Holden wasn't wearing his helmet because he'd outgrown his old one. Holden is now on the mend, but his jaw is still broken.

The soft spoken middle school student fought through the brain injury, but he's still dealing with a broken jaw and arm in a sling.

Aside from healing, he's got a new goal.

"Tell everybody that they have to wear a helmet," he said.

Giving out helmets to kids has been a mission of Minneapolis Police Officer Mike Kirchen's for a while. But now he has an ally 66 miles away in Gaylor.

"After his accident, he wanted to make it his mission to get helmets out to every kid in Gaylord," Kirchen said of Holden.

And that accident was serious. Pam Abrams is Holden's mother.

"Getting to HCMC and having the pediatrician tell you a brain bleed is serious, it's a big thing," Pam said.

So, his mom found Kirchen and his helmet program online and asked if they could all team up. And on a sunny Sunday, in the town's park, they gave out a packed squad car full of them.

"If you need more helmets, we'll make another trip down to get more helmets," Kirchen told Holden.

Because there are times being a hard-headed kid is a good thing.

Kirchen and Holden have something else in common. Holden's grandfather used to be police chief in Gaylord, he wants to one day be an officer himself.

To find out more about getting a free helmet, click here.