One cyclist killed, two injured in St. Catharines collision
One male cyclist was killed and two other cyclists injured after they were struck by a vehicle in west St. Catharines Monday night.
Niagara Regional Police said the three cyclists were struck by a white Ford Edge around 6:42 p.m. on Seventh Street Louth between South Service Road and Second Avenue Louth. Police, fire and paramedics personnel responded to the scene.
All three cyclists were treated on site and transported by Niagara Emergency Medical Services to hospital.
Police said one of the cyclists was in critical condition and died despite resuscitation efforts on scene and at the hospital.
The other two cyclists suffered what is believed to be non-life-threatening injuries and were in stable condition Monday night. Police did not identify their genders.
The ages of the three cyclists was not known.
The collision happened less than a week after St. Catharines launched its first protected bike lane in a pilot project to separate cyclists and vehicles on the roadway for safety.
The project on Oakdale Avenue in Merritton uses plastic bollards on both sides of the road to delineate between the one and a half metre bike lanes and cars.
An online petition requesting the plastic dividers be removed was started shortly after they were installed that had just over 70 signatures Monday.
Niagara Region has plans to test a two-kilometre protected bike lane on Martindale Road in St. Catharines this summer.
The circumstances of the crash on Seventh Street Louth are under investigation.
The stretch of Seventh Street Louth was expected to be closed overnight while detectives from the collision reconstruction unit and forensics services unit investigated.
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have any information to contact detectives at 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1009472. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.
Karena Walter is a St. Catharines-based reporter, primarily covering City Hall for the Standard. Reach her via email: karena.walter@niagaradailies.com