COCHRANE— A cyclist has been killed following a fatal collision with a SUV on Highway 22.
Cochrane RCMP responded to reports of an accident at roughly 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 30) just north of the Highway 1A and Highway 22 intersection near Sunset Boulevard.
Upon arrival, RCMP located a 54-year-old Cochrane cyclist deceased. RCMP reported the driver of the vehicle that struck the cyclist, a 58-year-old Cochrane man, was taken by EMS to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police believe alcohol was a factor in the collision.
“There are signs that the driver of the vehicle may have been impaired by alcohol, we did enter into an impaired driving investigation,” said Corporal Troy Savinkoff of the Cochrane RCMP.
He added he was not at liberty to say what the indicators of intoxication were, but a member of the RCMP did accompany the driver to the hospital while he was being treated for his injuries.
Highway 22 from Sunset Boulevard to Range Road 43 was shut down for several hours following the incident, and traffic was rerouted through Sunset while RCMP members investigated the collision.
The road reopened just prior to midnight on Wednesday evening.
“At the end of the day we had many members involved in this investigation, and those members worked tirelessly through the evening and are back at it this morning,” Savinkoff said.
He noted witnesses of the accident indicated the driver involved in the collision might have been involved in a hit and run prior to the fatal collision.
“Prior to this collision this driver may have been involved in a minor collision on Sunset Drive just moments before,” he said. “We don’t have a victim of that indicated in that, so we’re just asking anyone who may have been parked along Sunset Drive to have a look at your vehicle and let us know if you see any damage.”
Impaired driving is an ongoing issue in Cochrane and the rest of the country as well.
“Impaired driving is a leading cause of criminal death in Canada, so what that means is that more people are killed in Canada by impaired driving than people murdered,” he said. “Anyone who thinks impaired driving in a victimless crime really isn’t paying attention.”
Savinkoff added the Cochrane RCMP detachment commonly hands out citations for impaired driving offences, and asked community members to reconsider before getting behind the wheel when intoxicated.
“People need to take a little more ownership of their behaviour and understand that these things are real, these things happen and what happens as a result is very tragic,” he said. “Calling it a victimless crime doesn’t hold much weight in my mind.”
The cyclist, Savinkoff said, was doing everything he could to use the roadway safely.
“There’s definitely no indication here that the cyclist was doing anything wrong at this point,” he said. “Cycling on our busy roads is a dangerous pastime, and people do have to take certain precautions to make sure they do it safely, but again, I’m not sure there was anything that cyclist could have done to be any safer.”
Savinkoff said that residents who may have witnessed the event and have been affected by what they saw can reach out to Cochrane and Area Victim Services at 403-851-8055.
The investigation is ongoing and the RCMP are asking residents and witnesses to contact the Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000. To make an anonymous tip you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477, or online at tipsubmit.com/.
