Cyclist dragged by vehicle dies in Saskatoon hospital
A deadly hit-and-run over the weekend has left a father of three dead and a family searching for answers.
Algin Gamble was critically injured when he was struck by a black SUV while riding his bicycle.
He died a short time later in hospital, with his family at his side.
“It’s really hard right now. It’s so fresh,” Regis Wichihin, Gamble’s oldest brother, said.
Police found Gamble injured on the corner of 23rd Street and Avenue U North on Saturday night. He was rushed from the scene by ambulance to Royal University Hospital.
The SUV involved in the incident fled the scene, and was last seen travelling south on Avenue W.
Wichihin and most of Gamble’s immediate family were in the hospital with Gamble after the collision. It was the family’s decision to remove him from life support.
“It was his wishes not to be left on life support. He had talked about that before. We talked about that as a family before,” Wichihin said.
Gamble had three children. The youngest was seven years old. His wife had recently moved to Vancouver, and Gamble was planning to leave Saskatoon to join her on the West Coast. He was scheduled to leave Sunday.
“HE LOVED HIS KIDS.”
REGIS WICHIHIN
“He was a very family-oriented person. He loved his kids,” Wichihin said.
Witnesses told police Gamble had been leaning against a dark SUV when it sped away, dragging him a short distance. They also said Gamble had been arguing with the people in the vehicle.
Investigators believe the SUV may have damage, such as scrapes, to the passenger side.
Wichihin said the family has heard no details about how Gamble was killed other than what they’ve seen in media reports.
Their only contact with police was at the hospital shortly after Gamble was pronounced dead.
This is the second deadly cyclist collision in as many years in the same area. Donald Kukurudza was riding a bike south on Avenue W when he was struck by a pickup truck travelling west on 23rd Street. Kukurudza, 55, was trapped underneath the truck. Charges were laid against a 46-year-old man after that collision.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident that led to Gamble’s death to come forward.