Hamilton cyclist killed by cement truck driver

On Thursday afternoon, Hamilton Emergency Services received a distress call regarding a two-vehicle collision occurring at the intersection of York Blvd and James St. North, situated in the heart of the city’s downtown area.

Driver remained on scene

The incident involved a male cyclist traveling eastbound who had been hit by a driver of a commercial motor vehicle making a right turn. The cyclist’s injuries were fatal, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the commercial motor vehicle remained at the site and is fully cooperating with the investigative authorities.

In response to the severity of the incident, the HPS Collision Reconstruction Unit was has now taken. The cyclist was found without any identification on his person. Investigators are currently working with the Coroner’s office in their efforts to ascertain the identity of the deceased male.

This marks the 11th fatality within the in 2023, and is the first to involve a cyclist.

More needs to be done

In July 2022, Brian Woods, 52, was killed when riding to work in Hamilton by a driver. The motorist was looking for cigarettes and distracted when he struck Woods.

David Shellnutt, a.ka. The Biking Lawyer, said more needs to be done to prevent such tragedies.

“The driver involved was operating a cement truck, which we know from the death of Miguel Escanan in Toronto in 2021, have huge blind spots wherein vulnerable road users are completely hidden from the driver’s view points. How we remain complicit in dangerous commercial vehicles travelling busy urban roadways without proper safety modifications is frustrating,” He said. “Simple modifications could save lives, but our provincial government fails to act like the Quebec government has.

If you possess any information that you believe might be of assistance to the police in their investigation into this collision, contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905-546-4753 or via email at Reconunit@hamiltonpolice.ca.