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Emergency crews responded to the Merville area on Highway 19a Friday morning however there was nothing they could for a man who had been riding his bike when he was hit by a southbound car.
“The car was travelling southbound and all of a sudden a cyclist appeared into his path and he struck the cyclist,” commented Sgt. Brian Nightingale, an RCMP Collision Reconstructionist.
The crash happened at 11:45 am.
Police say the elderly man who was in full cycling attire was eastbound on Merville Road when he approached the highway. They haven’t been able to ascertain yet if he stopped at the stop sign then proceeded on to the highway or if he did not stop.
“At this point, we’re still looking at all the physical evidence and we’re still going to have to look at the dynamics of the collision so we’re not going to be making any comments just yet as to what either vehicle was doing other than the Ford Fiesta was travelling in a southbound direction,” added Nightingale.
Nightingale says there is no criminality involved and that the skid marks left by the car are consistent with a vehicle travelling close to the speed limit of 80 km/hr.
The driver of the car was treated by paramedics at the scene for injuries caused by shards of glass that entered the car when it struck the cyclist broadside.
Police were not releasing the man’s exact age or identity as ‘next of kin’ notifications hadn’t been completed this afternoon.
The highway was closed for several hours as police investigated. It re-opened at 3:30 pm.
Dean Stoltz
