A Niagara Parks Police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing following a collision with an e-bike that occurred in Niagara Falls this past summer resulting in serious injuries to the rider. The decision, released this week by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) director Joseph Martino, determined that the incident was primarily caused by the e-bike rider's failure to yield to right-of-way traffic.
The collision took place on July 28th at around 10:40pm. The officer was driving north on Stanley Avenue when the e-bike, ridden by a 21-year-old man with a male passenger, was traveling east on Kitchener Street. According to the SIU report, the e-bike crossed Stanley Avenue to reach Kitchener Street.
Both the cyclist and his passenger were transported to the hospital following the incident. While the passenger sustained minor injuries, the rider suffered a fractured right leg.
In his decision, Martino emphasized that the evidence indicated the officer had the right of way and was operating the cruiser within the legal speed limit of 50 km/h. He noted that it was the responsibility of the e-bike rider to ensure it was safe to cross the intersection.
“The complainant was obliged to only proceed through the intersection when it was safe to do so and to yield to traffic with the right-of-way,” Martino stated. “His failure to yield to the (cruiser) which was proceeding lawfully at safe speeds northbound in the curb lane, caused the collision.”
Niagara Parks Police Officer Cleared in E-Bike Collision Incident