A memorial service was held Sunday for a man killed while cycling in downtown Vancouver.
Twenty-eight-year-old Agustin Beltran, a native of Mexico and a doctoral student at the University of British Columbia, died after colliding with a dump truck at the intersection of Pacific and Hornby streets Wednesday morning.
Friends, family and members of the cycling community gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Sunday before walking to the growing memorial at the crash site.
“I’m just here as a fellow cyclist. It just makes me sad that things like this can happen,” said cyclist Dara Poon.
Vancouver police are continuing to investigate the crash. Authorities said the driver was cooperating with their investigation and do not believe speed or impairment were factors in the crash.
After the crash, a damaged blue and black bicycle can be seen under the wheels of the dump truck.
“It’s just a terrible loss,” said Thomas Davidoff, an associate professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business, who said he had just hired Beltran as a research assistant.
“I was supposed to meet him in person, I had met him on Zoom, and 90 minutes before I had the chance to meet him, I learned that he died in this terrible accident,” Davidoff said.
Several cyclists present said the intersection has become increasingly dangerous in recent years.
“The junction is bad, there are still problems with cars coming off the bridge and turning into Hornby,” said Claude Brunel, who lives nearby.
“I see a lot of cyclists going through there, they more or less have the right of way, but I’ve seen a few close crossings on that corner.”
The group of about 100 people observed a minute’s silence at the memorial before a sustained round of applause erupted.
A memorial ride was also held in Beltran’s hometown of Mexico City on Sunday.
“He was a really smart guy, I think he was a really good guy, very professional, hardworking. He had such an amazing future ahead of him,” Davidoff said
“It just ended in an accident that shouldn’t have happened”
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Tahmina Azis and Andrew Weichel.
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