Cyclist seriously injured in collision with off-leash dog on Toronto trail – Toronto | The Canadian News

Along Toronto’s boardwalk, in the heart of the Beaches neighborhood, on a sunny October day, families stroll along the boardwalk in strollers, cyclists hit the Martin Goodman Trail, and dog walkers stroll with their four-legged friends, enjoying the peaceful nature of their surroundings. .

But what happened here last Friday afternoon has been very upsetting.

Christine Duranleau had been out for an afternoon walk with her husband and Cleo, their Labrador / Bernese mountain dog mix, when she spotted an off-leash dog the size of her running just before 4 p.m.

“All of a sudden this dog comes running and he was pretty crazy. The dog was actually running fast and obviously not on a leash and the next thing you knew this man was on the ground, ”Duranleau said.

She said she saw the dog and its owners while skating, wondering how they couldn’t have seen the crash.

“They were in front of us for a few seconds and then I saw them go. I felt really bad that I should have asked someone on a bike to see if I could catch these people, but it was too late and obviously I was too worried about the person on the ground. “

Duranleau says that while another Good Samaritan called 911, she was left with the man who couldn’t move, until paramedics arrived.

He also asked him to take a picture of him lying on the pavement.

“He didn’t really specify, ‘Oh, it’s for insurance purposes,’ but he just asked to do it and I did and sent it to his brother,” he explained.

In an interview contained in the Beach Metro Community NewsThe cyclist’s sister told the outlet that her 69-year-old brother is in the hospital with a broken pelvis and is expected to stay there for a month.

The unidentified woman also posted signs in the area near the place where the collision with the unleashed dog occurred. The posters contained a description of a red spaniel / setter breed that fled the scene and the pair on skates.

The pamphlet, which resembles a Toronto police press release, says the investigation is ongoing and asks anyone with information to contact 55 Division or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

Toronto Police Const. David Hopkinson confirmed to Global News that a report was taken, but said the incident is not considered a criminal matter.

Ken Milligan was riding his bike up the Martin Goodman Trail Tuesday and said he feels terrible for the man who was injured.

“It’s so cruel and yet that kind of thing is becoming more and more common in our city,” Milligan said, explaining that in May 2019, she also faced a dog off a leash while riding her bike around the city. path.

“I learned a lesson when they beat me. You have to watch all the time, ”he continued, saying that he was lucky to be unharmed.

A Toronto city ordinance stipulates that dogs must always be on a leash unless they are in designated off-leash areas.

Rick Price, walking his Rottweiler along the boardwalk, was shocked by news of an incident involving the cyclist and an unleashed dog.

“It is important because dogs run, they chase things, they can hurt people. That’s why he’s tied up all the time, ”Price said.