'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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.