Cyclist dies a week after being struck by vehicle

Woman, 26, is sixth fatality in what has been the deadliest year for bike riders in Toronto

- NATHAN BAWAAN AND ABHIRAJ LAMBA

A 26-year-old woman has succumbed to her injuries a week after being struck by the driver of a vehicle while cycling in Etobicoke.

She is the sixth cyclist to die in what has already been the deadliest year for bike riders in Toronto in nearly 20 years.

Toronto police say the woman was cycling west on Burnhamthorpe Road, just east of where the road intersects with Kipling Avenue, around 8:20 p.m. on Aug. 24 when she was hit by a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta being driven by a 28year-old man. The driver was also going westbound on Burnhamthorpe, police said.

The cyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the incident and was pronounced dead on Saturday.

The Star previously reported that 2024 has been the deadliest year for cyclists since police started keeping such records in 2006, even as Toronto has spent millions on adding bike lanes across the city and updating infrastructure, with plans to spend more in the coming years.

Lawyer Dave Shellnutt, who specializes in representing injured cyclists and pedestrians, says it’s not enough.