A Windsor man and his family are still trying to come to grips with seeing a young woman run over by a vehicle in broad daylight Thursday.
The female cyclist was struck by a car on Tecumseh Rd E. between Parent Ave. and Elsmere Rd. just before 4pm.
Police say the woman suffered life-threatening injuries.
Dave Perry and his family were waiting to turn onto Tecumseh Rd. when the unthinkable happened.
"She was already almost to the road, well, she lost control of her bike and fell off her bike onto the road," says Perry. "It was no more than three or four seconds, the car running her over. I heard the thump and a thump, the front tires and the back tires both ran over her."
Bicycle and other items on Tecumseh Road East after cyclist struck near Parent, January 17, 2019 (by AM800's Peter Langille)
The Perry family bolted from their car to get help, Dave ran to a nearby dental office to see if anyone could do anything for the girl.
"They ran out of the car, they called 911. My daughter left, the phone with my wife because she was in tears and she couldn't believe what happened," he says. "This girl, she just fell off her bike and before we could say anything else she was underneath the car."
No one on scene was sure if they should move the vehicle and Perry says the driver was simply inconsolable.
"The girl driving was just hysterical, what should she do? I thought it was the girl underneath crying in pain, but it was her [the driver]. I really thought it was the girl underneath because of the pain she was in," he says.
Perry tells AM800 News he can't get the crash out of his mind.
"I keep seeing that Volkswagen when I shut my eyes and I hear the thumping of this poor girl underneath there with nobody to help her," says an emotional Perry.
Eastbound traffic approaching the intersection of Parent Ave. and Tecumseh Rd is being diverted at Elsmere Ave. while the Accident Reconstruction Unit completes its investigation.
— with files from AM800's Peter Langille and Paul McDonald.