Cyclist killed in downtown Ottawa hit-and-run
Posted May 16, 2019 12:37:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A cyclist has passed away after suffering a critical head injury after being struck by a vehicle, downtown, and a manhunt is underway for the driver.
The collision happened around 7:20 a.m., Thursday, at Elgin and Laurier.
The man on the bicycle was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Ottawa police tell 1310 NEWS, the vehicle did not stop after the collision, but the vehicle was found abandoned a short distance away. Police are now searching for the driver, who is believed to have run from the scene.
Several roads around the crash were closed for the investigation. Police are looking to speak with anyone who witnessed the collision, or has video, cell phone images or dash cam video of the collision.
While it's not yet known what happened in this specific case, cycling advocates say Ottawa's infrastructure leaves too many of them vulnerable to motor vehicles.
“There's a lot of things that are going on in that stretch of Laurier,” said Trevor Haché, Healthy Transportation Coalition. “There's three lanes that are westbound for motor vehicles, driven by people who are often criss-crossing across the bike lane in a very short stretch of road, as drivers try to merge from the Queen Elizabeth Drive ramp.”
“I'm told by numerous cyclists who cycle that stretch of Laurier often that it is a white-knuckled ride.”
This is the second cyclist struck by a vehicle in Ottawa, this month. A woman was hit by a truck while riding her bicycle near the Civic hospital, earlier this month.
