‘He was very loving, loyal and caring,’ crash victim’s mother says
A father, son and car aficionado lost his life this weekend when he was involved in a violent singlevehicle crash.
Vincent Cheslock, 27, died when a Honda SUV he was travelling in went out of control on Saturday just after 2:30 a.m. and struck a hydro pole near the corner of Merivale Road and Raven Avenue. The intensity of the impact shattered the vehicle into multiple pieces.
Cheslock was found trapped inside one of the pieces of the car with the vehicle’s other occupant, a 20-year-old man. The 20-yearold suffered critical injuries to his lower body, Ottawa paramedics said, but he was listed in stable condition as of Saturday night.
On Monday, Cheslock’s mother, Venus, told the Citizen the news of her son’s death was still sinking in.
“He was very loving, loyal and caring to the people close to him,” she said. “Cars were his life, fixing cars, buying cars, selling cars, it was his whole life.”
In addition to his passion for cars and motorcycles, Cheslock’s mother said he cared deeply about his two daughters, an eight-yearold and a toddler. He also had a younger brother, Derek.
Cheslock was born and raised near the area where he died and attended Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School.
“He had a great smile, and he had lots of friends; everybody loved him,” said Venus Cheslock.
Ottawa paramedics said firefighters had to extract the two men from the wreckage.
Cheslock was in cardiac arrest and pronounced dead at the scene after attempts to resuscitate him.
Given the police investigation into the collision was ongoing,
Cheslock’s mother would not say whether he was the driver of the SUV. An officer involved in the case confirmed they were looking into whether speed was a factor in the crash.
Police were looking to speak to anyone who might have witnessed the crash.
Anyone with information was asked to call Ottawa police at 613236-1222, ext. 2481 or Crime Stoppers at 233-TIPS.