City cyclist hoping witnesses come forward after hit-and-run crash near busy North Shore corner

Photo: Joseph Diamanti

Joseph Diamanti says he feels lucky he wasn't seriously injured on Sunday when he was struck by a large vehicle while riding his bike along Tranquille Road just west of Eighth Street. He is hoping witnesses will come forward with information that might help police track down the driver who hit him.

A Kamloops cyclist who says he was hit by a large vehicle Sunday near a busy North Shore intersection is hoping witnesses will come forward to help police identify the driver.

Joseph Diamanti said he was riding his bike home to Brocklehurst from Safeway in North Kamloops just before 5:30 p.m. on Sunday when he was hit by a large vehicle. He was headed west along Tranquille Road, just past the intersection of Fortune Drive and Eighth Street, when the collision took place.

“All of the sudden I hear a honk, then a split-second later I’m hit and I’m just tumbling head over heels,” the 35-year-old told Castanet Kamloops.

“It didn’t even brake. When it hit me, it just kept going. I don’t know if they just didn’t notice me or what, but he clearly saw me because he honked before he hit me.”

Diamanti described the vehicle as a charter bus, but police said it also could have been an RV that might have looked like a bus from behind.

RCMP Const. Crystal Evelyn confirmed Mounties are investigating the incident.

“If anybody did witness it, we are still investigating,” she said.

“We’re hoping to follow up with any witnesses who may have been present.”

Diamanti said he feels fortunate he wasn’t seriously injured.

“It’s mostly just road rash and bruising — no breaks,” he said.

“I went to emergency later in the evening because my hand was super sore. I thought maybe I’d broken my middle finger. But, honestly, I’m incredibly lucky. It definitely could have been a lot worse than that.”

The intersection of Fortune, Tranquille and Eighth is one of the busiest in the city, so Diamanti said he’s hopeful someone has information or dash-cam footage that might help investigators determine what happened.

“I only saw the back of the bus,” he said.

“They honked and hit me in such a short window, I didn’t even have time to look back to see who was honking. I’m hoping somebody saw maybe an identifying marker or a business name — anything that can help me get a hold of the company and make it easier for the RCMP to narrow down who hit me, because I would like them to be held responsible.”

Anyone with information can call police at 250-828-3000.