'An incredible future ahead of him': Memorial ride held for cyclist killed in Vancouver crash
A memorial ride was held Sunday for a man killed while cycling in downtown Vancouver.
Twenty-eight-year-old Agustin Beltran, originally from Mexico, and a PhD student at the University of British Columbia, died after being struck by a dump truck at the intersection of Pacific and Hornby streets Wednesday morning.
Friends, family and members of the cycling community gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery Sunday before riding over to a growing memorial at the crash scene.
“I’m just here as a fellow cyclist. It just saddens me that things like this can happen,” said Dara Poon.
Vancouver police are continuing to investigate the crash. Authorities said the driver has been co-operating with their investigation, and they do not believe speed or impairment were factors in the collision.
A damaged blue and black bicycle could be seen underneath the wheels of the dump truck in the aftermath of the crash.
"It's just a terrible loss,” said Thomas Davidoff, an Associate Professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business who said he had just hired Beltran as a research assistant.
"I was supposed to meet him in person, I had met him on Zoom, and 90 minutes before I was going to have the chance to meet him, I learned that he had passed away in this horrible accident,” Davidoff said.
Several cyclists in attendance said that intersection has become increasingly dangerous in recent years.
“It’s a bad intersection, There’s still issues with cars coming off the bridge and turning on to Hornby,” said Claude Brunelle, who lives nearby.
"I see a lot of cyclists going through there, they more or less have the right of way, but I've seen a few close calls at that corner.”.
The group of around 100 people held a moment of silence at the memorial, before a lengthy round of applause broke out.
A memorial ride was also held in Beltran’s home town of Mexico City Sunday.
"He was a really smart guy, I think he was a really nice guy, very professional hard-working. He had such an incredible future ahead of him,” Davidoff said
“It just got ended in an accident that never should have happened,”
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Tahmina Aziz and Andrew Weichel.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.