‘He was always smiling’: Grandfather of Xavier Morgan speaks at memorial bike ride

A large group of cyclists took part in a memorial on Saturday for the five-year-old boy killed by a vehicle while riding his bike along Lake Shore Boulevard late last month, riding alongside the boy’s grandfather.Xavier Morgan was riding along the Martin Goodman Trail with his grandfather, Scott Morgan, on May 24 when he somehow lost control of his bike and fell into traffic onto the Lake Shore Boulevard eastbound lanes.The five-year-old boy was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children in life-threatening condition, where he was later pronounced dead.READ MORE: Ghost bike memorial created for 5-year-old boy killed while cycling in Toronto’s west end“When he was hit, it just went silent on the street,” said Scott Morgan to Global News at the memorial. “When he fell, he gave me that look — ‘I’m okay’ — and then was gone. Life can be very short.”Scott said his grandson was “always smiling” and “hugged just about everyone.”

“He was a very happy, spirit-filled boy. I’ll miss him dreadfully. He just loved everybody and loved life.”

Scott, alongside his sister, Brenda, thanked all of those who came out for the memorial bike ride, where a “ghost bike” was locked to a nearby lamppost in honour of Xavier.“It was pretty somber, everybody that came, and there were huge numbers, we all share concerns about our safety when we’re on the road but this outpouring of condolences and shared grief has been most helpful to us.”After Xavier died, Toronto Mayor John Tory demanded a review of the safety of the city’s bike trails.READ MORE: Death of boy, 5, while riding bike in Toronto’s west end sparks calls for safety barriers“It is past time for us to have a hard look at safety on these trails,” he said.The city has since placed temporary barriers along the portion of the Martin Goodman Trail where Xavier fell into the busy area onto Lake Shore Boulevard.“I think the lesson has been absorbed that we need to separate traffic — vehicular and cyclist traffic. There has got to be something better than this,” said Scott.Geoffrey Bercarich, who made the “ghost bike” for the memorial, describes it as a “lighthouse in a stormy sea, a marker that shows that this neighbourhood, this street can take lives. It shows that not everything is A-OK on the streets.”WATCH: City of Toronto pledges to take action on trails after death of 5-year-old Bercarich is one of many cyclists who want to see a more permanent solution than the temporary barriers put into place.