National Post (National Edition)
Cyclists riding for charity struck by passing car
Driver appeared to try to pass using shoulder
It was the second day of a seven-day fundraising cycle around Lake Ontario and spirits were high among the 55 riders dressed in purple, the colour of pancreas cancer awareness. The riders strung out into small groups of five or six as they approached Kingston from the east, along Bath Road near Jim Snow Road, Sunday afternoon.
Trouble pothole.
The jolt of a tire striking the edge of broken asphalt caused one rider to tumble over his handlebars and hit his head. Four riding companions stopped to help, including one who is a retired fire captain, said Gord Townley, founder of the 7 Days in May charity ride.
The former fire captain stopped traffic and moved the injured cyclist to safety on the shoulder of the road. A support van with the ride and 911 had both been called. It was around 3:30 p.m. “He knew what to do, our rider was in good hands,” said Townley.
By then a second group of six or seven cyclists on the ride arrived. They were told everything was under control. One man from the second group got off his bike and said he would stay and help as the rest of his group pushed ahead.
The road was then for traffic.
“A van came up and slowed down and moved a little bit to the left to give the riders clearance and, as best as I can understand, a car was coming up at speed behind this van, thought they could pass on the shoulder and pulled around to the right of the van and struck four of the riders,” he said.
Among those hit was Townley’s 30-year-old daughter, the man from the second group of riders who stopped to help and two riders who were originally with the rider who first fell off his bike.
Townley, who was riding in a group just behind, arrived a few minutes after.
“I rolled up, I know them all well,” he said. “I saw the critically injured cyclist lying on the ground, the (retired) fire captain had moved over to tend to him, and resuscitate started with
areopened and care for him. As I walked towards him, my daughter called out to me. Her boyfriend was comforting her, he was one of the ones who was not hit, fortunately.”
A minute or so later, paramedics arrived.
The man from the second group was the most seriously injured, Townley said. He was in critical condition at the scene. He had not heard Monday afternoon how he was doing.
Townley’s daughter has several broken bones, including broken ribs, and a punctured lung. She underwent surgery Sunday night and is recovering, he said. Two others were also injured.
After the crash, the car hit the guardrail and rolled over into the ditch. The driver was also injured. The man who hit the pothole was not hit.
“It’s frightening. This was not a cycling accident. It was a series of cyclists who had pulled over to the side of the
THIS WAS JUST A DRIVER WHO WASN’T PATIENT.
road. They weren’t riding, this was just a driver who wasn’t patient who caused incredible damage without realizing what they were doing, I guess, ” Townley said
“Why the gentleman decided to pass on right, we don’t know. The police are investigating.”
This is the seventh year of the 7 Days in May ride, which leads cyclists on a 1,100-kilometre ride to raise funds for pancreas cancer research.
The riders started in Mississauga on Saturday and stopped in Cobourg for the night. On Sunday they pushed off for Kingston. They were about 30 kilometres from their scheduled stop at the time of the crash.
“Everyone on the ride is a pretty capable cyclist,” said Townley.
He said the ride would resume Tuesday.
Calls for information to the Ontario Provincial Police were not returned prior to deadline Monday.