Dalia Chako, cyclist killed on Bloor Street, loved her bike and always followed the rules, son says

The woman who was killed while cycling on Bloor Street on Wednesday loved to ride her bike and always followed the rules, her son says.

Dalia Chako, 58, recently moved to Toronto and didn't live far from the bustling Annex intersection — at Bloor Street West and St. George Street — where she was fatally struck by a flatbed truck. Police are still investigating the deadly crash but said the driver remained at the scene.  

So far, four cyclists have been struck and killed this year in Toronto.

Skylor Brummans, Chako's son, says his mom always used her bike to get around, but knew her limits and was cautious near traffic.

"From what I've gathered and what I've been told she was proceeding as she should have been, doing everything right," he told CBC Toronto by phone.

Brummans says he believes the truck driver involved in the crash just wasn't looking for cyclists during a turn, which led to the collision. However, he says he doesn't want to heap blame on the driver, calling the entire situation a "tragedy."

"I'm not looking to ruin people's lives or anything like that."

Instead, Brummans, who is set to fly to Toronto from Minnesota in the coming days, says he hopes his mother's death leads to more compassion among all road users in the city, or at least a reminder to always look out for cyclists and pedestrians.  

"I wish people would just be a little bit more aware," he said.

"The image of my mom's bike mangled, while it's extremely sad and was very hard to see … that's the result if you don't look."