Boy credits bike helmet for saving his life in car crash

MARYSVILLE, Washington -- A 10-year-old Washington state boy has become a big advocate for bike helmets after one saved his life.

Zaiden Cochran is thankful he got his helmet when he did.

Despite injuries to his back, a swollen left eye, and scrapes on his knees and arms, Zaiden is also feeling lucky even to be alive.

He picked it out Thursday after his younger brother got a new bike.

Little did he know when he was out riding Sunday that the helmet would make the difference between life and death.

As he rounded a corner, he and his bike came face-to-face with a car.

"I was gonna say 'Zaiden.' And then when I was like 'Z-,' he was already in the air. And I was like, 'Is that his bike?' And then he dropped and I was like 'Oh my God! Please help him!'" said younger brother Madden.

"It felt like a dream, but I realized it wasn't cause I couldn't wake up," recalls Zaiden.

After the crash, 8-year-old Madden rushed back home to tell their mother what happened.

Zaiden suffered a cracked vertebrae, making it painful to get up and walk around. But he's expected to make a full recovery.

"I felt that it saved me," says Zaiden.

Now, he and his brother hope to share this valuable safety lesson with other kids.

And they'll be wearing helmets every time they ride.

"Wear a helmet because it's very safe," says Zaiden.

Investigators say the 21-year-old driver who hit Zaiden was cooperating with police.

He was released from the scene and not cited.

Police don't believe speed was a factor.

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