A female cyclist suffered serious injuries after being pinned beneath a dump truck in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood during rush hour on Friday evening.
The collision between the cyclist and driver of the dump truck occurred at about 6 p.m. at the intersection of Gerrard Street East and Parliament Street, º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice said. The roads were closed to traffic as officers investigated.Â
“Honestly, I’m nervous and scared because I was right in front of her, she was right behind me,” said local resident Rashida Akther, who was crossing the intersection when the collision occurred.
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The woman’s bicycle can be seen under the truck’s wheels after the rush-hour crash at Gerrard and Parliament streets on Friday evening.
Reagan McSwain/º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøStar
“I was two or three steps away,” said Akther. “That could have been me.”
Dozens of pedestrians were in the area at the time. Some screamed as the cyclist appeared to slip beneath the truck, her bike crumpled beneath the vehicle’s tires. Others, including the dump truck driver, tried to help the cyclist who was lying beneath the vehicle and appeared to be pinned.
First responders freed the woman, who sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, police said.
The dump truck appeared to be towing heavy construction machinery when the driver turned south from Gerrard Street East onto Parliament when the cyclist was struck.
The Star contacted Springside Paving Ltd., the name listed on the dump truck, but received no response.
The intersection was reopened by police by about 8:30 p.m.
º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice investigated 1,339 collisions between cyclists and drivers last year, a six per cent increase from 2023.
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