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'Heard a big crash'

A cross-country cycling trip came to a tragic end for a married couple Tuesday. Robert Booth, 65, and Irene, 69 were struck and killed by a pickup truck travelling east on Highway 11/17 near Red Rock Tuesday afternoon.
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The Tour du Canada group appears to have been taken in June. Two riders with the group were killed Tuesday near Red Rock after being struck by an eastbound pick-up truck.

A cross-country cycling trip came to a tragic end for a married couple Tuesday.

Robert Booth, 65, and Irene, 69 were struck and killed by a pickup truck travelling east on Highway 11/17 near Red Rock Tuesday afternoon. The couple from North Glengarry, Ont. were part of a Cycle Canada group of around 25 cyclists travelling from Vancouver to St. John’s called Tour du Canada.

“Our condolences go out to their family and friends,” a spokeswoman for Cycle Canada, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday morning, adding the rest of the group was on its way to Terrace Bay.

The driver, a 66-year-old man from Austin, Texas and a 62-year-old female passenger were taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.  Police say the truck struck another westbound truck hauling a trailer and a transport truck.

Phillip McGuire of McGuire Farm and Greenhouse was on his tractor with his back to the highway when the collision occurred just after 3 p.m.

“I heard a big crash,” he said. “I turned around. I just saw a bunch of stuff flying all over the highway and the transport go into the ditch.”

McGuire called 911 right away and spoke with the dispatcher until emergency crews arrived. He then handed out water to highway travelers, some who had to wait in a line stretching 15 kilometres until midnight before the highway reopened. McGuire said the shoulder of the road in front of his place is wide but mostly gravel, leaving cyclists to ride on a narrow stretch of pavement. He has seen collisions there before since moving into the area 20 years ago but said the road is a straight stretch.

“I have no idea what happened there,” he said of the collision that claimed the Booths’ lives.

“I don’t know what happened there why they didn’t see them or slow down or something.”

The 60 and 68-year-old male occupants of the westbound transport were also taken to the hospital while the 42-year-old Paris, Ont. driver of the westbound pick-up and a 42-year-old male passenger from Thunder Bay were not injured.

The remainder of the cyclists, who spent the night in Nipigon, left for Terrace Bay on Wednesday morning. 

Staff Sgt. Ken Mantey of the OPP's traffic division said it's a reminder for everyone on the road to stay aware of their surroundings. 

"Cyclists should be operating their bicycles to the right or as close to the right as possible when they're on a street or highway. Cyclists are allowed on highways and must follow the rules of the Highway Traffic Act just like drivers," Mantey said.

"Drivers should obviously, when they see cyclists, slow down and give them as much room as safely possible. And that's drivers that are oncoming and approaching them."

Mantey said it's too soon to say whether charges would be laid.

"We had our technical collison investigators at the scene, our traffic reconstructionist, our forensic identification unit at the scene. We've involved our Northwest Region Crime Unit and Nipigon detachment members. It's still ongoing. It's just started. It's a very complicated scene ... and we'll give further updates when available," Mantey said.  





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