Edmonton police are urging drivers to take it slow after three fatal collisions this weekend, two of which involved motorcycles on Sunday night.
The first motorcycle collision happened in the river valley, near downtown.
Officers responded around 9 p.m. Sunday, where they discovered a 30-year-old male motorcycle driver in serious medical distress and his female passenger lying dead near the intersection of Groat Road and Groat Road Bridge.
Police said the driver was travelling west down the Victoria Park Road hill, when his white 2008 Ducati motorcycle is believed to have struck a 2007 Toyota Yaris car travelling in the same direction.
The collision threw both people from the motorcycle, killing the woman instantly. Police did not say how old she was.
Loved ones have identified the 23-year-old woman as Harley Kelly, a mother “to a beautiful baby boy,” Keifer, who is only 10 months old.
“Our hearts are completely broken,” a message on a GoFundMe page reads. The person who started the page says they are trying to raise money for funeral expenses and to bring the young woman’s body back to Ontario where her parents live.
On Wednesday, Kelly’s aunt said losing her niece has been a big blow to the family.
“Harley was a beautiful girl inside and out,” Sherri Dolk said. “She was friendly, outgoing, carefree and she was an amazing mom.”
According to Keifer’s paternal grandmother, Robbie Moelhoff, despite an end to their romantic relationship, her son and Kelly worked together to co-parent their son.
“She was a really good mom.”
View photos of Harley Kelly below:
Moelhoff told Global News Kelly moved back to Ontario early on in her pregnancy, but returned to Alberta this spring because she wanted her son to know his dad.
Moelhoff first met her grandson in April. She was looking after 10-month-old Kiefer the night Kelly died. She had planned on returning her grandson to his mother the next morning.
Through tears, Kiefer’s father, Kaine Wikstrom, said he was struggling to cope with the sudden loss.
Wikstrom and the family will travel to Barrie, Ont. with Kiefer to attend Monday’s funeral service.
On Sunday, members of motorcycle groups will gather at Edmonton’s city hall and ride to the Victoria Park Road crash site.
Cory Bacon with Edmonton Sport Bikes said he will meet others at 11 a.m., something riders started doing this year to mark the tragic loss of friends.
“It’s a way to bring closure to everybody that’s close to the person they lost.”
Bacon said the ride is open to anyone and he hopes it will make the public aware about their goal to promote safety.
Cook County Saloon will also be holding a fundraiser on Friday to support Harley’s family.
The man driving the motorcycle was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said the driver of the car was in shock, but not injured.
READ MORE: 450 tickets issued this summer to Groat Road speeders; police concerned
Officers responded to the second fatal motorcycle collision just after 11 p.m. Sunday on the city’s south side.
Police were called to Parsons Road just south of the Anthony Henday overpass.
Officers arrived to find the 29-year-old motorcycle driver lying dead in the middle of Parsons Road, and a Chevrolet Malibu car in the ditch on the east side of the road.
Friends have identified the victim as Ziade Haddad.
Police believe the motorcyclist was driving north and the 32-year-old driver of the car was headed south on Parsons Road when they collided.
No charges have been laid in either crash. The Edmonton Police Service Major Collision Investigations Unit is investigating both fatalities.
Bacon said his group will also ride to Parsons Road where Haddad was killed.
While police have not released details on what caused either motorcycle crash, the Alberta Safety Council urges motorcycle drivers to slow down and drive defensively, particularly at night.
“With bikes, you don’t have the protection a car does. Slow down, give yourself plenty of space between you and the car in front of you,” program director Mark Dobbelsteyn said.
“Slow down even more if you’re riding at night and always drive defensively when you’re on a bike because you don’t have a roll cage and you don’t have any crash bars.”
If you’re riding at night, Dobbelsteyn recommends drivers wear reflective gear so they’re visible to other drivers. He also recommends people take a motorcycle training course before driving a motorbike, as he estimates only about 20 per cent of motorcyclists take one.
On Saturday, a 30-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision on 97 Street after fleeing a hit-and-run scene.
In light of the three fatal crashes, police reminded motorists to slow down and drive responsibly.
-With files from Kendra Slugoski
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