Taxi hits young boy on bike and no one pays attention

PENTICTON – On Saturday afternoon, a young woman witnessed a collision between a taxi and a young cyclist. She was the only one who reported the incident to RCMP even though there were numerous people around the area.

Cory Nelmes, 23, called 911 after she saw a yellow Penticton taxi, turning right, hit a boy in the abdomen as he went across the intersection on his bike.

“I can’t get the image out of my mind,” Nelmes said.

She turned her car around, parked and ran over to the boy, who wasn’t any older than 13, she said. He didn’t want medical attention, said he just wanted to go home and off he went.

Nelmes filed a police report, but RCMP said they aren’t following up with the case because there isn’t enough evidence.

RCMP didn’t follow up with the taxi company, but the driver, AJ Raike, said the boy rode his bike into the car when Raike was stopped at a stop sign.

“He hit me in the front bumper…and he ran away,” Raike said.

He got out of the car and asked if the boy was OK but he left immediately after it happened, he said.

Nelmes said she was shocked no one else called RCMP to report the collision.

“Summer is coming and kids are excited and as members of this community it is everyone’s duty to ensure all of our members are safe,” Nelmes said.

“I stopped even though it interrupted my day and made me late. Where was everyone else that day? What was more important than an injured child—what if that was your family or yourself? Wouldn't you want people to stop and help?” she said.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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2 responses

  1. Cory Nelmes

    Not “Allegedly” – actually saw the entire event – Not my idea of a fun Saturday night sitting on the side of the road and being late for an event – The issue is that more people need to stop when they witness and accident or a crime and come forward- it takes a few minutes to phone and make a police report and if more people had of stopped the police would have had enough evidence to investigate – I didn’t spend hours writing letters because I thought their should be repercussions – I spent hours writing letters and spreading the word so that other community members would stop when they witness something like this and help in the future. The situation could have been much worse then it was and there would have been no one around to help.

  2. Marklar Wunderkind

    *allegedly* On Saturday afternoon, a young woman witnessed a collision between a taxi and a young cyclist.