Taxi & Bike Road Rage Escalates into Cyclist losing a Leg

[joe]

Initial news reports from Nov. 14:

CityNews: Police Interviewing Cabbie Following Bizarre Incident Wes...

Was it a hit-and-run? An attempted robbery? Police are still trying to iron out the details of a bizarre incident early Friday morning. A cyclist was taken to hospital after his leg was reportedly severed in a collision with a cab near the intersection of Dovercourt Rd. and Dundas St. It's believed the cab backed into the man, hit a pole, and took off at about 2:30am.

CBC: Cyclist badly injured in taxi collision

Toronto police are trying to figure out how a taxi nearly severed a cyclist's leg early Friday morning. The incident happened at around 2:30 a.m. at the corner of Dovercourt Road and Argyle Street. Witnesses told police they heard shouting, followed by the sound of a crash. Then they saw a Beck's taxi leaving the scene and a cyclist lying at the side of the road in obvious pain. A few hours later, a taxi driver contacted police and said he had been assaulted just before the incident.



Cabbie charged on Nov. 21, 2008:

The Toronto Police Service have just released news that the taxi driver involved in last friday's taxi/bike collision has been charged with 6 offences:

Sultan Ahmed, 38, of Maple, has been charged with:

1) Criminal negligence causing bodily harm,
2) Dangerous operation causing bodily harm,
3) Fail to stop at scene of accident bodily harm,
4) Attempt to obstruct justice,
5) Aggravated assault,
6) Assault with weapon.

He is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall, on Friday, November 21, 2008, room 101, at 1 p.m.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416－808－1900, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416－222－TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

Full Press Release here (PDF file)

[joe]

Cyclist who lost Leg in apparent Road Rage incident speaks out

For those of you following the tragic events of November 14th, when it seems a road rage incident turned nasty and resulted in the amputation of a cyclists' leg, news stories today are reporting things from the cyclists' perspective, which is understandably hazy and sad.

Photograph from the Toronto Star

"Kasztelewicz remembers being sprawled out in the middle of the road screaming. The cab was gone. He elevated his thigh and tightly squeezed the area above his knee. The rest of the leg was gone. He could see it lying about six metres away.

"There was fountains of blood. I still had my knee, but everything else was gone," he said. "I just screamed `Help me. Somebody get out of your house. Please help me! Please help me!'" From there, Kasztelewicz remembers waking up in a hospital bed. He had been taken to St. Michael's Hospital with life-threatening injuries."

More at the Star and the Globe

[joe]

The Taxi Driver has been denied bail.

Breaking news about the taxi/cyclist collision that cost the cyclist his leg:

A taxi driver charged in connection with a hit and run involving a cyclist in downtown Toronto, has been denied bail.

Sultan Ahmed, of Maple, Ont., faces six charges, including aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, after an incident on Nov. 14, in which cyclist Chris Kasztelewicz was badly injured.

Police say there was an altercation near the intersection of Dovercourt Road and Argyle Street which ended with Kasztelewicz, 36, being crushed against a hydro pole by a taxi.

More at CBC News.