Law loophole? Woman, toddler involved in hit-and-run with another cyclist in Montreal

After a woman was struck in a hit-and-run in Montreal recently, the collision highlights an apparent loophole in the law when it comes to pressing charges.

Jaclyn Turner and her 18-month-old daughter, Soleil, were out for a bike ride Wednesday afternoon along the Lachine Canal when they collided with another cyclist.

“I flew off the bike,” Turner told CTV News.

She says the cyclist rounded the blind corner with speed - in the wrong lane - and their handlebars collided.

Soleil was still attached to the bike in her seat.

“She was strapped into the seat on the front, so she kept going with the bike. All I could do was watch,” she recalled.

Turner walked away with a sprained left hand and a few bruises. Thankfully, Soleil was unharmed.

But it’s what happened afterward that has left the family frustrated.

“The guy stuck around for a little bit, but then he ended up taking off as soon as I asked him for his information,” Turner said.

Her husband, Mathieu Murphy-Perron, arrived at the scene shortly after the other cyclist had fled. Nearby witnesses called 911, and when the SVPM arrived, they told them their hands were tied.

“The cop said, as long as there’s no motor involved, so if the person wasn’t on an electric bike, this isn’t a hit-and-run,” Murphy-Perron recalled. “The person fled the scene, but it can’t be a hit-and-run.”

Quebec’s automobile insurance board (SAAQ) says collisions involving two cyclists are a bit of a gray area, because they are not insured motorists.

“Who would be responsible to pay for that insurance?” asks SAAQ spokesperson Simon Pierre Poulin. “Is it the cyclists themselves, in which case they would need some kind of driver’s licence? Some permit? When you pay for your driving licence, for your permit, you’re not paying for the paper itself. You’re paying for an insurance product.”

That’s a policy that cycling enthusiasts in Montreal believe is outdated.

According to Vélo Quebec, the number of cyclists in Montreal has skyrocketed.

“We need to update our system so it reflects the reality on the ground,” says Velo Quebec spokesperson Magali Berbonne. “The reality in 2025 is that people are biking to get around, people are e-biking, people are on e-scooters. And you need to make sure that our public no-fault insurance system reflects that.”