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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/05/14/quebec-cycling-accident.html?ref=rss
Quebec truck crash kills 3 cyclists, injures 3
Victims were training for triathlon when struck by pickup on Hwy. 112
Last Updated: Friday, May 14, 2010 | 8:10 PM ET Comments696Recommend316
CBC News
Police examine the scene where a pickup truck plowed into a group of cyclists, killing three and injuring three others on Friday. (Ryan
Remiorz/Canadian Press)Three cyclists training for a triathlon are dead and three more injured after the group was hit from behind by a pickup truck Friday southeast of Montreal.
The three women who died have been identified as Sandra de la Garza Aguilar, 36, of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Que., Line Duhamel, 39, of Boucherville, Que., and Christine Deschamps, 44, of Brossard, Que.
One cyclist was pronounced dead after being rushed to a local hospital. The second died from her injuries a short time later. Police confirmed the third death just after 3 p.m. ET.
The cyclists, all from Montreal's south shore, were members of the Saint-Lambert Triathlon Club, and were training for an Ironman competition in Lake Placid, N.Y., in July, said Éric Lemyre, a spokesman for the club.
The other three cyclists — a man and two women — were treated in hospital and released Friday afternoon, Lemay said.
Cyclists Sandra de la Garza Aguilar, left, and Christine Deschamps, were killed when they were struck by a pickup truck in Rougemont, Que. A third cyclist, Line Duhamel, was also killed. (Saint-Lambert Triathlon Club/CBC)The crash scene stretched more than 30 metres along Highway 112 near Rougemont and was strewn with mangled bike frames, shoes, water bottles and a wristwatch.
The cyclists are friends who regularly ride together and were en route to Sherbrooke on Friday morning as part of their training for the triathlon season, police said.
They were struck by the truck just before 10 a.m. The truck driver, who was heading east at the time, was not injured. Police said he rushed to help the cyclists and administered first aid.
"The driver of the vehicle in question was a man and alcohol is not a factor," said Quebec provincial police Sgt. Claude Denis.
He said it was too soon to say what caused the accident or whether charges would be laid.
The group was training at the same time as a faster pack of riders farther down the road.
Shortly before the crash, Lemyre said, the survivors told him they had been riding two by two. But they returned to a single file formation because the road had no paved shoulder.
"They didn't even see the car coming, everything was very quick," Lemyre said. "[all of a sudden], three people they love were lying on the street."
The weather Friday was cloudy, but no rain was reported in the morning.
Highway traffic was rerouted while police investigated.
The highway was closed until just before 8 p.m.
No paved shoulders
Bruno Sévigny, a member of the same cycling club, was riding about an hour behind the victims on Friday.
Six cyclists were en route to Sherbrooke as part of their training for triathlon season when the crash happened. (CBC)Still dressed in his cycling gear, he told reporters on the scene he was in complete shock.
"It's obviously very dangerous here," Sévigny said.
Marc Villeneuve, a resident in the region, said he regularly rides around Rougemont but doesn't use Highway 112 because it has no paved shoulders.
"I avoid that area," he told CBC News, standing near the crash scene. "There is no shoulder on the road. So even if the car [lanes] are doubled on each side, the traffic is very fast and there's gravel on the [side].
"It's very dangerous."
Officials with Quebec's Transport Ministry said the province had already planned to repave the section of the highway where the crash occurred and would also pave the shoulders.
Work is to start in the next few weeks, said ministry spokeswoman Julie Morin.
The crash is a tragic reminder for transport officials about the pressing need to make roads safer for two-wheeled vehicles, said Suzanne Lareau, president of cycling advocacy group Vélo-Québec.
Under Quebec highway rules, any road travelled by more than 5,000 vehicles a day must have paved shoulders.
Police say they aren't sure how many cyclists were directly struck by the truck. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)
"I can't understand why on this part of the road, why the shoulder was not paved," she said.
The accident is an occasion to remind drivers of the need to share the road with cyclists, said Jean-Marie de Koninck, president of the province's Road Safety Experts Group.
"You have to slow down because the cyclists have the right to be there, and you must leave them enough space to drive safely," de Koninck said.
The crash bears a chilling resemblance to a similar incident last summer in Ottawa, when five experienced cyclists were struck.
None of them died, but one spent months recovering in hospital. The driver in that incident has been charged with hit and run.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/s...c-cycling-accident.html?ref=rss#ixzz0nxVEsfjO
