Driver charged in Brandon collision that killed 15-year-old cyclist

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This article was published 28/12/2023 (639 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police have charged a 24-year-old Brandon man in the death of a 15-year-old boy who was struck by a car while cycling in the northwest area of the western Manitoba city in early October.

Police said at the time that authorities expected charges would be laid against the driver, who remained at the scene after the collision and waited for police and emergency responders.

Antoine Sutherland, a Vincent Massey High School student, was killed in the collision.

The driver, who was not hurt, is facing a charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

Brandon Police Service public information officer Sgt. Kirby Sararas told the Brandon Sun that fatal collision investigations can be lengthy. Once completed, police consult with a Crown attorney who then must go before a review panel for charges to be determined.

“It is a process, it does take time, and then of course the investigation itself is very technical,” Sararas said.

The investigation by the BPS traffic section, forensic identification unit and a collision analyst determined that the vehicle was travelling more than twice the speed limit when the cycling youth was hit just before 5 p.m. on Oct. 5. The boy was heading north on McDiarmid Drive when he was struck by the vehicle travelling westbound on Victoria Avenue, a main artery in Brandon.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Sararas said a collision analyst uses forensic mapping devices and computer software to investigate collisions, and data pulled from a black box or data recorder in the vehicle is used to obtain information including airbag activation, speed and brake application.

“The investigation itself takes a bit of time to ensure that we’ve got all the right pieces in place before we send it to the Crown,” she said.

A sacred fire and walk in memory of the teen, who was of Indigenous and Ethiopian descent, were held the weekend following his death.

A pedestrian corridor was installed at the intersection in 2022. A safety review three years earlier found that daily traffic counts at the intersection saw approximately 18,000 vehicles and 780 pedestrians and recommended that a pedestrian corridor be installed at any intersection where traffic volume exceeds 9,000 vehicle movements.

The driver was released after his arrest and is scheduled to appear in Brandon court on Feb. 26.

— Brandon Sun