fatality

You may have seen the news of a man hit from behind by a garbage truck on Monday morning. Two days later, he died in hospital from his injuries.

Both vehicles were heading north on Queen Street through Streetsville in Mississauga.

The story is in the Mississauga News.

Charlie Prinsep was hit by a car, August 4th, 2007 near Brooks, Alberta. I was visiting my family this September near Lethbridge, Alberta. I had made the suggestion that I could make some sort of memorial for Charlie as a favour for family and friends. When I got a response from Charlie's mom that it was a good idea I was committed.

This last Sunday I recruited my mother to help me make the memorial, which ended up being a bike wheel retrieved from a bike store's trash, some flowers, a laminated sheet with a photo and quote from Charlie's brother, and a convenient fence post.

I convinced my parents to detour to Brooks on my way back to the airport in Calgary and we picked a spot near the entrance to Brooks since I didn't know at the time where he had died. It now looks pretty secure and away from ditch mowers so it may survive a year or two. This is sort of a smaller version of a ghost bike.

The Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists is seeking volunteers for Saturday September 15th 12noon to 2pm in the Pharmacy Ave and Lawrence Ave area to deliver flyers and posters seeking information in the death of Patrick Lonergan.

Patrick Lonergan was riding his bicycle in the area on the morning of Sunday September 2nd when he was struck down by a stolen truck. The driver has not been apprehended. Patrick was a mentally challenged individual who faced more obstacles every day than most people face in a lifetime, his best friend has told us he faced each day with a smile.

Please help us on Saturday. The more people we have the more flyers we can deliver. This story has been virtually ignored by the press.

We also need people who can translate a third of a page of writing into Italian or Portuguese.

If you can help out please contact Darren Stehr at darrenstehrgmail.com
or 416-707-4744

With a heavy heart I have to report that another cyclist was killed today on Toronto's streets. This time a seven year old girl ... in Scarborough. Very close to where I went to high school. CityTV did this news story. She was on a crosswalk riding her bike. Not a busy street. The driver simply failed to see her, which boggles the mind. I am pretty sure you're taught to look left and right for anyone including children before you proceed to go through a crosswalk after already having stopped in the first place to let another child cross.

ARC will be organizing a memorial ride with the consent of the family for next Tuesday. Details TBA.

Media links:

• Toronto Star
• Toronto Star
• City News
• CBC
• Toronto Sun
• AM 640
• Globe and Mail

On July 18th on Leslie Street, a cyclist fell over the barrier separating him from the 407. The police report gave the following account:

On July 18, 2007, at approximately 2:35 p.m., York Regional Police responded to a report of a man lying on the shoulder of the westbound lanes of Highway 407, under the Leslie Street bridge. With the assistance of video surveillance cameras in the area investigators have determined the man had been riding his bicycle northbound on Leslie Street moments before he fell. The footage shows him riding on the west sidewalk. He was almost across the overpass when the left handle of his bicycle made contact with the cement wall of the overpass, causing the man to be thrown over the 1.2 metre high bridge. He fell nearly 9 metres onto the north shoulder of the westbound lanes of Highway 407.

The photograph below shows my average sized bike leaned up against the 1.2 metre barrier.

Leslie over the 407

Charlie

Wes and I gave an interview in honour of Charlie for the CBC today. Air date will be Thursday, August 16th. 10:06 AM. Sounds Like Canada.

On Friday come ride with us in his memory. You'll be glad you did.
Click on image to enlarge.

The Memorial Ride was attended by over 120 riders and peacefully snaked through Cabbagetown and most of the downtown core on a beautiful evening. A big selection of photos from the ride can be found here.
My heartfelt thanks goes out to family and friends and more who rode with us in his memory. He would have been amazed I am sure.

"In heaven, everyone rides a bicycle."

From ARCannounce:

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blockquote>Cyclists,

As you are probably aware, a cyclist was killed on June 8th on Bayview Ave. The police have witnesses to the incident. We were made aware of a witness(es) that may have not had a chance to speak to police. Please contact us or the police (Det. Gill 416-808-1900) to help shed some light on this incident. Your information will help the cycling community understand what happened and provide some answers for the family. We understand that what you witnessed was very traumatic, we can assist in finding resources to help you.

Darren Stehr
416-707-4744

About ARC

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists is a cycling advisory group that was founded in 1996 with the initial aims of forming a legal defence fund for cyclists and successfully lobbying for a coroner's inquest following two cyclist fatalities involving large trucks. (See http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/coroner_recomend.htm for the recommendations of this regional coroner's review.)

Since that time ARC's mandate has expanded to include: 1. Lobbying and education on issues of cyclists' rights 2. Legal defence, support and advice for survivors of car-bike collisions, and for cyclists unfairly charged with traffic offences. 3. Direct actions such as holding memorials for cyclists killed by motor vehicles.

http://www.respect.to