Close to 100 people gathered downtown Saturday afternoon to remember a 26-year-old cyclist who was struck and killed by a vehicle while riding his bike in Yorkville last weekend.
At around 11:30 p.m. last Saturday, Burlington resident Adam Excell was riding along Avenue Road, near Davenport Road, when he was hit by a car that fled the scene of the accident. He was pronounced dead a short time after the collision.
As a tribute to Excell, friends and family rode their bikes Saturday from Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue to the scene of the accident, where a growing memorial was found around a white “ghost bike” chained to a pole.
Excell’s father was among the mourners at the afternoon vigil and said his son had chosen to park his car that week and ride his bike instead.
“We worried about him all the time,” Andrew Excell said about his son cycling in the city.
The grieving father said his son, who was a fitness lover and enjoyed the outdoors, was also passionate about the environment.
"As much as he could he would ride his bicycle to keep his car off the road and that’s what took him," he said.
Excell's father added that motorists need to “slow down” and be cautious of cyclists and pedestrians.
The 19-year-old driver accused of hitting Excell turned himself in to police the day after the crash and is facing multiple charges including dangerous driving causing death.
