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Collision with speeding cyclist on seawall sends American tourist to hospital with broken back

An American tourist is speaking out from her hospital bed today as she recovers from serious injuries resulting from a frightening run-in with several cyclists on Saturday.

Charmaine Mitchell, who is from Virginia, says she and her friend from Vancouver were walking on the seawall in Stanley Park when she was literally knocked off the seawall by speeding cyclists.

Mitchell says a group of cyclists were racing along the seawall, around a corner just past Second Beach when the crash occurred.

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The two of the racers made it past Charmaine and her friend, but the last one crossed into the pedestrian path and smashed right into her, sending her plunging 10 feet over the wall onto the rocks below.

Mitchell is in hospital with three fractured vertebrae. She has undergone surgery, and now has two steel rods and eight screws in her back.

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In addition, she has a broken knee and a broken toe. A park ranger was able to talk to the man who crashed into her and get his information.

Since the accident, Vancouver Police have been spotted clocking cyclists on the seawall with a radar gun, measuring their speed.

Mitchell’s four children in Virginia are working on getting expedited passports so they can travel to Vancouver to be with their mom.

VPD say they took a report of cyclist-pedestrian collision Saturday night.

They say they have spoken to the cyclist involved and continue to investigate, but say it appears to be an accident.

– with files from John Daly

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