Police seek pickup in fatal hit-and-run
The Ottawa man who was killed early Sunday morning in a hitand-run collision on Leitrim Road never had the chance to enjoy his new home in Riverside South.
Friends have identified the cyclist as Andy Nevin, a 39-year-old father of two who had worked for the same landscaping company for almost a decade.
He was struck by a vehicle around 5:45 a.m. Sunday on Leitrim Road, west of Albion Road.
Nevin was found lying at the side of the road after suffering “extensive traumatic injuries,” paramedics said.
His green bicycle was left bent and twisted on the shoulder.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate the man, but he was pronounced dead at The Ottawa Hospital trauma unit.
On Monday afternoon, police said they were looking for a white Ford truck, either an F-250 or F-350 made between 2004 and 2006, and with fresh front-end damage on the passenger side.
Seema Singh, a friend of the Nevin family, said Andy Nevin woke up early Sunday morning to cycle back to his old house to do some work on it before handing the keys over.
But he never made it to his destination.
Singh said her boyfriend rented out her home to Nevin and Nadia Robinson — the children’s mother — and helped the family to escape from a rough neighbourhood and get a fresh start.
The boys were loving the backyard, the park down the road and their new home, she said.
Singh said she decided to start a GoFundMe fundraiser campaign to honour Nevin and support his two sons.
Nadia Robinson wrote in a post on Facebook that her boys lost their father and she lost her best friend. She appealed to the public for anyone with information to come forward.
“He was a very proud daddy and did not deserve to go so young and so pointless,” she wrote.
Joey Smith, the owner of VIP Lawn Care, said Nevin had worked for him for six or seven years.
Smith, who is a close friend of Nevin’s father, said his employee was a nice guy and in good shape.
“Andy was a very, very good worker,” Smith said.
“If there was a physical task to do you knew it was going to get done and done well.”
Anyone with information can call Ottawa police at 613-236-1222, ext. 3212.