Cyclist dies after collision with taxi in downtown Montreal

A taxi's windshield was smashed by a head-on collision with a cyclist at Rene Levesque and Peel (Sept. 5, 2013)

A 31-year-old man is dead after a head-on collision between a bicycle and a taxi.

The crash happened at 1 a.m. Thursday on Rene Levesque Blvd. near the intersection with Peel St.

Constable Dany Richer said police spent the night reconstructing the crash to determine how the car and the bicycle collided, and it appears the cyclist made a U-turn to ride against the flow of traffic and the taxi driver could not avoid hitting him.

Paramedics and first responders rushed to the intersection but were unable to revive the cyclist. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The taxi driver, a man in his sixties, was taken to hospital and treated for shock.

Richer said there have been 16 deadly collisions in Montreal this year, compared to 22 at this time last year.