A 20-year-old cyclist who was killed Wednesday in downtown Toronto has been identified by a family member in India.
Karthik Saini, an international student, was hit and dragged by a white pickup truck driver at the intersection of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue around 4:30 p.m
Police have not yet identified the victim. But his cousin told CBC Toronto on Friday that Saini came to Canada in August 2021. Parveen Saini spoke from the city of Karnal in the northern Indian state of Haryana, where their family is from.
The family hopes that Saini’s body will be sent to India as soon as possible for a proper burial, he said.
Sheridan College confirmed that he was a student there.
“Our community is deeply saddened by the sudden death of Karthik. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and faculty,” the college said in an email Friday.
In a news release Thursday, police said the driver of a Ford F-250 truck was westbound on St. Clair Avenue East and turned right to go north on Yonge. At the same time, the bicyclist crosses Yonge in an eastbound direction.
“The driver of the Ford pickup struck the bicyclist and continued north on Yonge Street, with the bicyclist and bicyclist trapped underneath the vehicle,” police said in the release.
Emergency services attempted to free the cyclist and revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Right turns at this junction are prohibited from 4pm to 6pm on weekdays, but police have not yet said whether the driver will be fined or charged.
Toronto police are still investigating
Const. Laura Brabant, spokeswoman for Toronto police, said the collision is still under active investigation.
“Determining whether or not charges have been filed takes time as investigators must first conduct a full investigation,” Brabant said in an email Friday.
“It takes time and it’s not a rushed process.”
A makeshift memorial has been placed at the site of the collision.
Our community is grieving. We will come together to remember Karthik Saini, a 20-year-old student from India. pic.twitter.com/QfabPNM4zl
—@Yonge4All
David Shelnut, a Toronto lawyer who describes himself as a bicyclist, said the collision raises many questions, and he noted that the bicyclist was killed by a “right-turning motorcyclist.”
“As lawyers for injured cyclists who have been ‘properly buckled’ (myself included), we know that drivers often fail to properly care for vulnerable road users,” Shelnut wrote in an email Friday.
“Drivers often fail to look out for cyclists or pedestrians as they race to run lights or beat oncoming traffic,” he continued.
Toronto police are still investigating the fatal collision. (Alexis Raymon/CBC)
“With winter approaching, snow falling and light conditions changing, we urge all road users to exercise extreme caution. People ride bikes all year round in Toronto, please be aware of them and consider the safety of others in the event of an unnecessary urge to speed through that yellow light or pass that streetcar. Someone’s life could be hanging in the balance.”
A group called Advocacy For Respect For Cyclists organized a ride in Saini’s honor on November 30.
Participants will meet at 6:00 pm at Matt Cohen Park at Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue. The race starts at 6:30 p.m. and will end with a ghost bike being placed at the crash site.
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