A ghost bike memorial is being held today for a 58-year-old female cyclist who was killed after she was struck by a truck in downtown Toronto last week.
The cyclist was identified on the memorial website “Forever Missed” as Toronto resident Dalia Lucia Chako. In the post, Chako is described as someone who would “never settle.”
“She was recently killed while doing something she loved, riding her bicycle,” the memorial reads. “She could be difficulty by her own admission, but that’s what made her amazing.”
Officers reported to the intersection of St. George and Bloor streets around noon on June 12. The cyclist was found without vital signs and was later pronounced dead by police.
The driver of the construction truck that struck the cyclist remained on the scene.
Police have not released information about whether or not the cyclist was in the designated bike lane. On the day of the incident, Toronto Traffic Services Const. Clint Stibbe said investigators needed to determine the exact point of impact in the collision.
“We need to find to determine everyone’s direction, where they were, to determine exactly what happened in this fatality,” Stibbe said.
Friends, family, and cycling advocates will participate in a 1-kilometre bike ride from Spadina Road and Bloor Avenue to the crash site.
The ghost ride, which is organized by a group called “Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists”, will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday and is expected to last 10 to 15 minutes.
Chako’s family has said they will use her death as “an opportunity to raise awareness for safer streets for cyclists in Toronto.”
Three cyclists and 17 pedestrians have been killed in traffic-related incidents throughout the city in 2018.
