Family, supporters of Vancouver PhD student killed while cycling wait for justice

Family and friends of a cyclist fatally crushed by a truck at a Vancouver intersection eight months ago say they’re still waiting for justice.

Agustín Beltrán was in a marked bicycle crossing at Hornby Street and Pacific Boulevard when he was hit by a dump truck making a right-hand turn on June 29.

Supporters say despite a lengthy wait and the entirety of the incident being captured on video, his family has yet to see a police report.

“I really hope that the police finalize their report soon because it would be good for the family to just be able to move on from that part of this,” Vancouver cycling advocate Lucy Maloney said.

“It’s really difficult for the victims of traffic violence when they’re dealing perhaps with recovering from injury or the death of a loved one to have to deal with a pretty cumbersome system to get a police report,” Maloney added.

“That’s particularly difficult for people whose income streams have been interrupted, like what if somebody has lost the breadwinner for their family.”

2:01 Cyclist killed in Yaletown was a PhD student at UBC

The driver involved in the collision stayed at the scene and cooperated with police, who said at the time speed and impairment were not believed to be factors in the tragedy.

On Thursday, Vancouver police said the investigation was complex, involving interviews with eye witnesses, collision reconstruction, analysis and reenactment and determining the right of way.

Investigators still have work to do before providing an update, VPD added.

Hub Cycling president Jeff Lee described the delays as frustrating, arguing the case appears to be relatively straightforward.

“I’m not a lawyer or a police officer, but Agustín was riding in a protected, marked bike lane in the correct direction, he crossed in a marked bike crossing … he was crossing with the signal, he wasn’t moving against the signal,” he said.

2:09 Memorial ride held for cyclist killed in Yaletown

In the meantime, Lee said the deadly collision — in protected bike infrastructure, no less — shows there’s much work to do to keep streets safe for cyclists.

Along with safe infrastructure, he said B.C. needs to do a better job of educating drivers about bike lanes and vulnerable road users.

And he said better regulation — in particular, a modernization of the main piece of legislation that governs road use in the province — is needed.

“It is in fact called the Motor Vehicle Act, it’s not called the Road Safety Act, it focuses on motor vehicles and not people walking and cycling,” he said.

“The changes need to identify road users other than motorists, and they need to give those other road users specific rights. Today, people riding bikes are allowed on the roads, but they’re not recognized as vehicles … they need to be a class of vehicle.”

Beltrán, 28, was originally from Mexico and was completing a PhD at UBC’s Vancouver School of Economics when he was killed.

Supporters held a memorial ride in his honour after his death, and a white “ghost bike” remains erected at the site of the collision to mark his passing.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said the victim’s family could not file an ICBC claim wihtout a police report. In fact, ICBC says the family can file a claim without the report.