Police have made an arrest after two cyclists were seriously injured in a hit-and-run incident Monday morning while on a training ride in a residential Prince George neighbourhood.
One of the victims, an adult male, sustained serious facial injuries and was unconscious when first attended to by an off-duty nurse and off-duty police officer shortly after the collision at about 9:50 a.m.
The other rider, also an adult male, was conscious but suffered a broken leg and abdominal injuries. A health-care worker at the scene said one of the riders would need to be transported to Vancouver.
Police responded to the scene at Ospika Boulevard and McRae Avenue with ground vehicles and an RCMP helicopter to search for the driver of a black pickup truck suspected in the incident.
A vehicle matching the description — missing its passenger-side mirror and showing significant front-end damage — was found in a townhouse development a few blocks from the crash. Police arrested a man, believed to be in his 20s, after converging on a unit at 101 Tabor Blvd.
“Police officers are looking for anyone with video surveillance, dash camera footage or cellphone video that shows the vehicle’s driving behaviour before and after the collision,” said Prince George RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jennifer Cooper.
“The vehicle travelled from where the incident occurred and turned left on McDermid Drive, then left again on Tabor Boulevard. Witnesses report seeing the vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed.”
Terri Guest, a Level 3 first-aid attendant, was one of the first on scene. She helped the off-duty nurse and officer stabilize one of the victims’ necks while they waited for BCEHS paramedics to arrive.
“There were two victims, both 40 years old, and one of them had a Tour de North jersey. I think they were both training for the Tour de North, because that’s the route they take — they go out to Miworth and back,” said Guest.
“It was a black truck. It’ll be missing a mirror — I’d say the passenger side, because I had to step over it to get from one victim to the other when I was checking vital signs.
“The conscious victim was talking about his leg, but I saw part of his helmet was crunched and I was worried. Even though he wasn’t registering any pain in the head or neck, he might still have injuries there. They already had the other guy well in hand.”
A registered nurse whose apartment faces the scene told The Citizen she turned over doorbell camera footage to police.
The Cops for Cancer Tour de North is an annual ride organized by the Canadian Cancer Society. It involves police officers, first responders and civilian riders raising funds for childhood cancer research and support programs.
This year’s 850-kilometre ride, scheduled for Sept. 12-18, has 21 registered riders. It begins in Prince George and ends eight days later in Prince Rupert.
Ron Gallo, a civilian rider who has participated in several Tour de North rides, was called to the scene and helped police identify each rider’s equipment where it lay on the roadside.
Gallo knows both men involved — one is an RCMP officer, the other a civilian rider — and said Monday’s incident represents every cyclist’s worst fear. He said the riders were wearing bright Tour de North jerseys and had lights on their bikes to increase visibility. One even had a radar detector to monitor approaching traffic.
“I’m at a loss for words. This is the nightmare that cyclists don’t ever want to experience, and now we have two of our riders in hospital with unknown conditions,” said Gallo, choking back tears.
“Their bikes are destroyed. I can only imagine the shape they’re in. These are people with families, with kids expecting them to come home — and they’re not coming home today.”
Gallo said the Tour de North ride requires months of training and fundraising. Knowing that these two won’t be able to take part this year has left the community shaken.
“Cycling isn’t something where you just get up one day and decide to ride 850 kilometres to raise money for pediatric cancer. But that’s all these guys have been thinking about — the ride in September, and where the money is going,” said Gallo.
“They’re not supposed to put their own health and safety at risk, but that’s what’s happened here today.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP non-emergency line at 250-561-3300.
