‘Dear friend’ still reeling after Montreal cyclist killed at busy intersection – Montreal

There’s been an outpouring of help following the tragic death of Andrea Rovere, who was killed in a hit-and-run collision with a truck early this week whereas biking close to his Plateau-Mont-Royal residence.

The crash occurred on the intersection of Parc and Mont-Royal avenues Monday afternoon. Police mentioned each the truck and the bike owner had been heading south on Parc when the truck driver made a right-hand flip on the intersection, hitting the bike owner.

Rovere was rushed to the hospital, the place he was later pronounced useless. Brandon Marchand-Bibeau, a 25-year-old truck driver, was arrested in close by Outremont a short while later.

He appeared in courtroom on Tuesday and was formally charged with failure to cease after an accident leading to loss of life.

Giacomo Balistreri, a detailed good friend and colleague of Rovere’s on the Institut nationale de recherche scientifique, says he’s nonetheless reeling from the information.

“He was an expensive good friend of mine and understanding that he wasn’t right here anymore it was like an enormous blow for me,” he mentioned. “Understanding the way it occurred made it extremely worse … it made me really feel powerless and empty.”

Like Rovere, Balistreri hails from Italy, and says his good friend all the time made positive he felt at residence in Quebec.

“Once I moved, he was one of many first folks that I met and he made positive that I used to be by no means alone,” he mentioned. “He made positive that he was all the time there for me and never just for me, he did it for everyone.”

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Now, six years after Rovere first arrived in Montreal to pursue a Ph.D in physics, his associates in his adoptive nation are ensuring he isn’t alone and will get again residence to his household in Europe.

On Thursday morning, they launched a GoFundMe marketing campaign hoping to lift $20,000 to assist cowl bills linked to repatriating Rovere’s stays to Italy and laying his physique to relaxation.

“Bringing again the casket residence may be fairly an costly service so we thought it could be good or a good suggestion, to assist nonetheless we may,” Balistreri mentioned.

It solely took six hours to succeed in their preliminary fundraising aim.

“I used to be actually impressed, I didn’t anticipate to realize this aim so rapidly,” Balistreri admitted.

By Friday afternoon, they’d raised practically double their targetted quantity – $37,900 in donations.

Balistreri mentioned he’ll keep in mind Rovere as a humorous, loving and caring individual in addition to a gifted musician.

He hopes that folks received’t be dissuaded from using their bikes or strolling across the metropolis after what occurred to Rovere however mentioned folks must be cautious.

“All the time concentrate, whether or not you’re a pedestrian, you’re a bike owner, otherwise you’re a truck. There needs to be extra consciousness, like if you happen to’re driving a truck, you may severely damage folks,” he mentioned.

Balistreri additionally hopes the problem of security within the space can be addressed.

“One thing needs to be achieved, as a result of this could not have occurred,” Balistreri mentioned.

Following the crash, political leaders campaigning within the upcoming municipal elections promised to make modifications to the damaging intersection.

The truck driver is scheduled to look in courtroom once more on Dec. 7.

In the meantime, Rovere’s associates, in addition to native politicians, are planning to attend a ghost bike ceremony for him on Sunday at 11 a.m. on the nook of Parc and Mont-Royal.