A helmet with Mark Loeffelbein's name on it still hangs just inside the doorway of his home on Thursday.

Mark Loeffelbein pedals the same route on his red Schwinn bicycle nearly every day.

He rides from his home in the Traverse Heights neighborhood of Traverse City, Mich., and stops at his favorite shops. He deposits cans at The Beverage Company, tests out wooden rocking chairs at Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings and pops inside La Senorita to chat.

On June 11, Mark, 49, didn’t make it to his usual haunts. He was pedaling across Carver Street carrying a bag full of cans at 7:45 a.m. when a motorist struck him.

A Traverse City police officer and medics from Traverse City Fire Department and North Flight Emergency Medical Services responded to the crash. Mark was walking and talking, and he didn’t want to be taken to the hospital, police Sgt. Kevin Dunklow told the Traverse City (Mich.) Record-Eagle.

What emergency responders didn’t know is that Mark has Williams syndrome. It’s a genetic condition that causes developmental delays, learning disabilities and cardiovascular complications and is characterized by a charismatic, social personality.

“He doesn’t have the capacity to make a medical decision,” said Roger Loeffelbein, Mark’s father. “That’s why the court has given me the guardianship of his health and well-being.”

Caregivers checked on Mark later that day and found him in bad shape. Roger gave them the go-ahead to take Mark to Munson Medical Center, where doctors found a broken collar bone, chipped shoulder, two broken ribs and a punctured lung.

It was a wake-up call for Roger and his wife Elaine, and they’re determined to make sure something similar doesn’t happen again to Mark or someone else like him.

The Loeffelbeins don’t have the answer, but they want it to be something that gives emergency responders the information they need and guardians peace of mind.

“This is an awful thing to happen, but maybe something good can come out of this,” Roger said.

Steve Perdue has known the Loeffelbeins for decades. He’s the president and CEO of Grand Traverse Industries, which provides employment and support to people with disabilities. Mark worked for GTI for a spell, and Roger is a longtime board member.

Perdue believes the solution can build off of existing services, such as a training program for firefighters to assist individuals with hearing impairments.

“I think that same idea should be or could be expanded to a much wider set of disabilities,” Perdue said, adding that collaborative partnerships between emergency responders, advocacy agencies and local businesses could lead to increased safety nets for those with disabilities. The first step is to start a dialogue.

“The hope is that something good will come of this. Thankfully it appears Mark will recover,” he said. “If this helps get community conversation going about this issue, that’s what I’d like to see happen.”

Mark hopes to be well enough to get out of his parents’ house and back on his bicycle by his 50th birthday at the end of the month. He’ll head home with a new bracelet inscribed with his name and emergency contact information so someone would know who to call if Mark runs into trouble.

It’s a step in the right direction, but the Loefflebeins want to spur something on a larger scale in the wake of Mark’s crash.

“There’s so much good in this town,” Roger said. “This town is so extraordinary that maybe it becomes the town that creates something else good to help people with disabilities.”

Elms writes for the Traverse City (Mich.) Record-Eagle.