Police in Ontario, Canada, ticketed a 16-year-old cyclist over the weekend while he was in the hospital after being struck by a car, according to the Daily Hive.
The collision took place at King Street East and Quigley Road after the cyclist entered a crosswalk, the report continued. The ticket was given because the cyclist allegedly violated City of Hamilton bylaw by riding on the sidewalk above the legal age limit and without dismounting, personal injury lawyer David Shellnutt said, according to the outlet.
Shellnutt explained the situation in a post on Instagram saying, “@hamiltonpoliceontario ticketed a 16-year-old cyclist this weekend while in hospital receiving treatment for injuries after being hit by a motorist. The charge? Riding on a sidewalk.” The post included a redacted photo of the issued ticket.
“Rather than use this as a teaching moment, Hamilton Police blamed the young cyclist and ticketed them,” Shellnutt added. “He was at the hospital with his mom getting X-rays,” he added, the Daily Hive reported.
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Shellnutt claimed on Twitter that the cyclist did not feel safe riding in the bike lane on the road, and another user responded with an alleged photo of the site of the collision.
I saw this tweet by Dave this morning, looked it up on Google Maps and it said there was a bike lane so I thought I would go and have a look. This section of King is just past the off ramp for the Red Hill Pkwy. The bike lane starts past the merge lane for cars coming off there. https://t.co/1dmZ0nru5P pic.twitter.com/gNtNTZi936
— Mark Anderson 😷 (He/His/Him) (@cycletherapyHam) April 12, 2023
Hamlilton police say that the driver of the vehicle that hit the cyclist was not issued a ticket, according to CHCH news. Shellnutt announced in his post that he will be representing the young cyclist on a pro-bono basis.