Head of St. Pete City Council injured in bicycling accident

Every Monday and Friday, Brian Wilder and St. Petersburg Council Chair Leslie Ann Curran bicycle 18 to 19 miles from her downtown art gallery to Pinellas Point.

The two friends were bicycling back to Curran's gallery just before 8 a.m. Monday when Wilder, who always bikes in front, heard Curran crash as they headed southwest on Fairway Avenue South near Green Way South in the Lakewood Estates neighborhood.

He rode back to assist her and found her bleeding from her knees, legs and the side of her face. She was conscious but in a lot of pain. He comforted her and kept her still as paramedics were called to the scene, he said.

"She fell off and hit her head," said Wilder, who added that Curran was wearing a helmet.

Wilder said he doesn't know whether her front tire hit his rear tire or if an obstacle on the road caused her to crash, though he said he didn't notice anything on the road.

As they were bicycling back, a third person joined them and rode in the rear, Wilder said.

The man, who Wilder didn't know and investigators haven't been able to identify, told Wilder that Curran fell and he crashed into her.

"She went down for some reason and I don't know why," Wilder said. "And he went down because the person in front of him fell. If there was something between those two, I have no idea."

Wilder said two more bicyclists approached the crash scene and called 911. The man who crashed into Curran didn't suffer any serious injuries, Wilder said.

The man stayed at the scene until paramedics transported Curran to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, where she remains under observation in the critical care unit and is listed in stable condition, according to a statement from the city of St. Petersburg.

Wilder has bicycled with Curran for about six to eight months. They leave from her downtown gallery, Interior Motives Inc., at 7 a.m. and follow the south loop to Pinellas Point. They return to her business in less than an hour, Wilder, 59, said.

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said he hopes to know more about her condition tomorrow.

"We will keep her chair warm until she gets back," Foster said. "She'll be back soon."

Curran, 54, is the mother of three and a St. Petersburg resident.

.Police are trying to locate the bicyclist who was trailing Curran. They also want to contact any witnesses who saw the accident. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (727) 893-7780 or (727) 893-7550.