A horrific rear-end collision between a pickup truck and a group of six cyclists left three dead and rocked the bicycling community in the Quebec province on Friday.
The five women and one man were members of a triathlon club who were riding to a weekend training camp at Sherbrooke, Quebec.
A pickup truck driven by an as-yet unidentified local volunteer firefighter slammed into the group as they pedaled single-file along the undivided four-lane highway south of Montreal.
One woman was pronounced dead at the scene and two other women died at the hospital.
No highway improvements
The speed limit along Highway 112 is 90 km (approximately 60 mph), but road users told CTV news (click picture above for news report) that motorists often go much faster. Video aired from the scene show very little space for bicyclists. There's a white fog line at the edge of the road and the shoulder looks to be gravel.
Indeed, The Montreal Gazette reports that Quebec pledged to pave the shoulders of roads like Highway 112 some 15 years ago. That project was never undertaken, however, forcing the cyclists to take the right lane.
[The Gazette reported later that “Transport Quebec on Friday said it now plans to pave the shoulder and add a traffic light this year.”
[The story also cites a Quebec law that requires bicyclists to use a bicycle lane on highways that have one. This one didn't, and a bike path that runs nearby does not qualify because it was about 20 yards away. It's paved in gravel, like the road shoulder.]
Suzanne Lareau, president and general manager of Vélo-Québec, Quebec’s biggest bicycling organization, told The Gazette:
“Often, when there are accidents, the motorist doesn’t see a single cyclist. .. But there were six cyclists – it was broad daylight, they were very visible…. it was impossible not to see them.
“To me, this accident is a tragedy, incomprehensible, a disaster.”
Police were at the scene conducting an investigation into the crash that happened shortly before 10 a.m. They said the driver stopped, as well as other witnesses, who tried to help. Police said alcohol was not a factor, nor was the weather.
Club's reaction
The six were members of Le Club de Triathlon St. Lambert. The website notes that the training camp has been cancelled.
CBC News identifies the dead as 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. The other three bicyclists, a 57-year-old man, and two women, aged 44 and 31, are expected to live.
This message was posted at the bike club's website:
“We offer our condolences to the family and friends tried by the tragic events that occurred Friday morning. We share your suffering, as all club members are a large family. This great fraternity will be even bigger and we have confidence in the strength of character and determination inherent in the sport to face this ordeal. Let us be united and strong.”
Several news reports mentioned an uncanny similarity to a crash in Ottawa last summer when five cyclists were struck, but none died.
Our condolences to the friends and families of the riders.
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