More Than $25K Raised For Bucktown Bike Shop Owner After Crash

CHICAGO — Fellow bicyclists, friends and supporters have rallied behind Annie Byrne, the owner of BFF Bikes, after she sustained a brain injury in February. More than $25,000 has been raised in a GoFundMe campaign to help Byrne through her recovery.

As of Monday morning, 360 donors had contributed to the campaign, many of whom posted messages of love and support on the fundraising page.

Byrne created her first cycling camp offered through her bike shop in Tucson, AZ, in February. The camp included 16 cyclists, and was "extremely successful" until the last day, when Byrne crashed, her mother explained on the fundraising page.

"On the final ride, with two miles left, Annie hit something and flew over her handlebars, and landed on her head hard," her mother said. "Luckily, a trauma ER doctor was driving by, saw her on the ground having seizures, stopped to help and knew she needed to get to the hospital STAT, so she was soon airlifted to the hospital."

Byrne was put in a medically-induced coma for several days. Her collarbone was broken, and a bone at the back of her skull was paralyzed on her right side. Cat scans revealed her brain was bleeding, and she was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, her mother said.

"Luckily, when she came out of the coma she regained some movement on her right side," her mother's post read. "She stayed in the Tucson hospital all of March and after an intensive rehab program returned to Chicago in early April."

Byrne's brain injury has limited her ability to work and concentrate on her business, so it's being managed by staff members.

BFF Bikes opened four years ago in Bucktown and was the first bike shop in the Midwest that was specifically geared towards women. The shop has the largest women’s racing team in Chicago, hosts many events, training classes, clinics and group rides.

"Thank you, thank you everyone for your donations and good thoughts. Annie is deeply grateful for your outpouring of support," her mother Margaret Byrne wrote on the fundraising page.

You can donate to help Byrne's recovery here.

Images via GoFundMe, Patch partner