A woman has been seriously injured after she was struck and subsequently pinned underneath a garbage truck in the city’s east end Monday morning.
According to Toronto police, the woman was cycling westbound on Cosburn Avenue near Donlands Avenue shortly before 9 a.m. when a garbage truck also heading west attempted to make a right hand turn onto a side street and struck her.
They say the collision pinned the woman’s leg underneath the tire of the truck causing “major bleeding.”
The 39-year-old woman was awake and breathing when emergency crews arrived and was freed from under the vehicle a short time later.
She was initially transported to hospital in critical condition but her health has since improved. Police now say she is being treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The garbage truck involved in the crash remained on scene. Police say they will be looking into whether the victim was using the dedicated bike lanes in the area when the collision occurred.
"It’s currently an ongoing investigation and it’s very early, so we are going to be speaking with witnesses in the area,” Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu told CP24 via phone Tuesday.
Cosburn Avenue has been closed eastbound at Donlands Avenue and westbound at Greenwood Avenue as police investigate.
Sidhu suggested that the area could be closed off for some time.
"Her injuries are life threatening to the entire area will remain closed off until we can get our team out there to investigate," she said.
