A cyclist was killed early Thursday in Maple Ridge after he was hit by an alleged drunk driver.
The fatal accident took place around 3 a.m. and was discovered by a Ridge Meadows RCMP who was tailing a white Kia Sportage, which he had just spotted speeding near the 23200-block of Dewdney Trunk Road.
The officer was about to stop the Kia when the 52-year-old driver lost control of her car and crashed near 244th Street.
The SUV burst into flames following the crash, but the Mountie quickly put out the fire with an extinguisher he grabbed from his police cruiser and pulled the woman out of driver’s seat.
The officer then realized the SUV has struck a cyclist who was riding east.
The cyclist was thrown several feet into a wooded area near the shoulder of the road. He was located by a police dog but died at the scene.
“This is a very unfortunate and sad case,” said Insp. Dave Fluegel.
“The officer did not engage in a pursuit. At the time, the suspect was still a considerable distance away from our officer. Evidence suggests that she lost control of her vehicle and crashed just off the traveled portion of the roadway. The quick actions of our officer contributed to limiting the tragedy in this case, as the vehicle caught on fire, and the driver needed assistance to get out.”
Police have identified the cyclist but will not release his name until his family has been notified.
Dewdney Trunk Road remained closed to traffic between 240th and 244th streets for several hours while collision analysts reconstructed the scene.
Fluegel said investigators believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
“An investigation into impaired driving causing death is under way,” he added.
The woman driving the Kia was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police are asking anyone who saw her driving the white Kia before it crashed to call them at 604-463-6251.
