Ottawa, Ontario — July 2, 2015 — The owner of an Ottawa-based towing company is shaken up after stumbling onto the scene of a fatal hit-and-run.
Advanced Towing & Recovery’s Randy May discovered an unresponsive man lying in a ditch near his home on Leitrim Road, just west of Albion Road on the morning of June 28, the Ottawa Citizen reports. The 42-year-old first spotted a crushed mountain bike at the end of his laneway around 6 a.m., which led him to a discarded sneaker, ball cap, and finally, the fallen cyclist.
“I checked his vitals and didn’t get anything. I told him that fire and rescue were on the way and to hang in there,” said May, who called 911 after detecting the absence of a pulse.
May stayed with the man, holding onto his shoulder, until emergency responders arrived.
“I felt bad that some coward had just left him for dead in a ditch,” May said in the report, adding that his heart goes out to the victim’s family.
He says the offender, believed to have been driving a white Ford pickup, should turn themselves in.
”Whoever did this is a f—king coward and they should do the right thing and turn themselves in,” he says. “I feel bad that I couldn’t have done more.”
On June 29, the victim’s brother personally thanked May, which he says provided some closure.
“I won’t have full closure until the killer is captured,” he says.
The incident is currently under investigation. Police are urging the offender to surrender, and for any witnesses to come forward.
“The best thing that you can do is actually turn yourself in and call police. That’s the best measure,” Ottawa police Insp. John Medeiros told CBC.
Anyone with any information pertaining to the incident, or who spotted a vehicle with fresh front-end damage on June 28, can contact the Ottawa police collision investigation unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2481. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477(TIPS), toll free at 1-800-222-8477, or by visiting tipsubmit.com.
