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Kelowna police officer cleared in cyclist collision

Police officer was off-duty when he hit cyclist who had used heroin earlier in the evening
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The Independent Investigations Office of BC cleared a Kelowna police officer of any wrong doing after the off-duty officer hit a cyclist in May. (File photo)

A Kelowna police officer was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Independent Investigations Office of BC after hitting a cyclist in May.

According to the report, the off-duty police officer was driving home from work in his personal vehicle in the early morning hours of May 25 when he hit the cyclist on Highway 97.

The cyclist was thrown more than 15 feet and taken to hospital with serious injuries, including a broken leg.

The off-duty officer immediately pulled over along with an eye witness to check on the cyclist who was laying on the road. The eye-witness dialled 911.

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According to the report, the cyclist was trying to cross the road when he was hit by the vehicle.

The police officer tried to swerve out of the way at the last minute, however, he still hit him on the passenger side of his vehicle.

On the way to the hospital, the cyclist regained consciousness and told paramedics he had used heroin earlier that night.

The investigation also found that the cyclist had been spotted earlier that night travelling against the traffic lights and weaving in and out of traffic in a dangerous manner.

The cyclist was also dressed in a black hoodie and grey pants with no lights and was not wearing a helmet.

Investigators concluded that given the evidence there were no reasonable grounds to charge the police officer.

In fact, the investigation found the cyclist acted carelessly by using heroin, cycling in the dark, wearing dark clothing without lights and rode directly into the path of the oncoming car.


Paul Clarke
Assistant bureau chief, B.C. Interior South Division
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