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RICHMONDREVIEW.COM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012
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Nurse wants warning signs posted Cyclist dies from injury at site of fatal cycling crash after fall
Overpass has a steep grade
by Martin van den Hemel Staff Reporter
by Martin van den Hemel Staff Reporter Far too often, she’s seen the injuries resulting from the steep ramp that leads to the Highway 91 overpass at Gates Avenue in East Richmond. Normally, it’s just scrapes and bruises that result from too much speed and too little control on a ramp that’s a hazard for cyclists. But things were different on Tuesday afternoon. Doris (who asked that her last name not be published) said she’ll never forget the sight of two young children, a 12-year-old girl and a sixyear-old boy, as they stood helplessly just a few feet from where their unconscious 63-year-old father lay on the asphalt, blood pouring from his injured head, his tumbled bicycle resting at his feet. It was around 2 p.m. Tuesday, and Doris had just returned home from work at Richmond Hospital, where she’s a nurse on the surgical floor. As she was settling down for bed, Doris’s mother alerted her to a man who had fallen on the ramp leading to the overpass adjacent to their home. Doris went to check, and found a man who’d apparently lost control of his bike, and fallen, his unconscious body sprawled on the ground, and his two children standing nearby, including his crying six-year-old son. It was immediately obvious to Doris that their father’s prognosis was grim, and after calling 911, and the arrival of emergency response, she
Martin van den Hemel photo Hamilton resident and Richmond Hospital nurse Doris, who asked her last name not be published, helped a man who’d fallen from his bike. The man eventually died of his injuries, but Doris consoled his two kids after emergency crews arrived.
turned her attention to consoling the children. They said they lived near McLean Park, not far from where the accident occurred in the community of Hamilton. “It’s horrible,” Doris said of the accident. “The thing that sticks in my mind is that they were there watching him and no helmets...That could have saved his life.” Doris said the ramp is fine for pedestrians, but for inexperienced cyclists, is “very steep.” She said she’d like to see signs posted about the ramp’s hazardous incline, or have
cyclists banned from the overpass entirely, or instructed to dismount. “These people don’t realize you pick up a lot of speeding coming down that hill,” she said. The overpass is under the jurisdiction of the provincial Ministry of Transportation. City of Richmond transportation staff have been in contact with the ministry and asked them to consider the issue of signs and other safety measures and will continue to pursue this issue with them, city spokesperson Ted Townsend said. The man died of his injuries at Roy-
al Columbian Hospital, and the family returned to the scene later Tuesday, including what looked like the man’s wife, another older daughter, nearly 14, and another young man. Doris said it appeared the man was making his way down the ramp, and may have gained too much speed, lost control, and struck the metal side railing, sending him tumbling to the ground. Asked how frequently she sees unhelmeted cyclists, Doris said it’s about a 50/50 split, with the more serious-looking cyclists wearing helmets more often than not.
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A sunny afternoon cycling with his two young children ended tragically Tuesday night when a 63-year-old Richmond man suffered a fatal injury when he fell from his bike and struck his head on the ground. Richmond RCMP Cpl. Sherrdean Turley said the tragedy occurred around 2 p.m., as the man and his two children, ages 6 and 12, were out cycling. None of them were wearing helmets, and that proved to be a fatal mistake for the father. As he was making his way across a Highway 91 overpass near Gates Avenue in the East Richmond community of Hamilton, the man lost control of his bike and fell, striking his head on the ground. An off-duty nurse who lives in the area noticed the man had fallen, and told them to call 911 as she helped out. When police arrived, ambulance paramedics and firefighters were already helping. The man was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, while police brought his children and their bicycles home. Once police notified their mother of what happened, they escorted the family to hospital, but tragically the man passed away prior to their arrival. “This is a very sad and tragic event that very likely could have been prevented if a helmet had been worn,” Turley said. “Our condolences are extended to the family and friends of the cyclist. We would also like to thank the off-duty nurse for her assistance and obvious dedication to helping others.”
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