'It's disgusting': Winnipeg teen victim of apparent hit-and-run while riding bicycle

A Winnipeg teenager is warning drivers and cyclists to watch the road after he claims he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike in the city’s River Park South neighbourhood.

Every morning, 17-year-old Phoenix Morpheus rides his bike down Warde Avenue. However, on Monday, that trip took a terrifying turn when he crossed John Forsyth Road around 9:45 a.m.

“I just kind of fell and then when I got up, I was really confused,” Morpheus recalled. “And then I remember that I heard the car, so I was like, ‘Wow, did I just get hit by a car?’”

Morpheus said the strike sent him spinning out of control. He was wearing a helmet and sustained minor injuries.

“When I fell, (my bike) pushed into the curb right there, and it cut my leg,” he said, pointing to the scars around his ankle.

But Morpheus wasn’t able to get the vehicle’s make, model or licence plate because it drove away.

“It’s disgusting,” said the victim’s mother, RainShyne Morpheus. “As a mom, something happens when your kid gets hurt. But something else happens when your kid gets hurt and the offender takes off.”

It’s the latest in a series of collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists in the city, and some have been deadly.

“I think we’re able to put ourselves in the place of the person who’s been hit,” said Bike Winnipeg’s Mark Cohoe. “You know, you’re always wondering if you might be next.”

Markus Chambers, chair of the Winnipeg Police Board said he hopes to look into what’s causing these collisions.

“We’ll have to do our research and see what is causing the uptick in these occurrences,” he said. “And if it is a situation where we need more enforcement around that, that will come.”

However, Morpheus’ mother believes more action is needed now, especially as students start heading back to school next month.

“I would rather a program be launched and then tweaked than not launched at all, because they don’t want to make a mistake,” she said. “That’s not any way to success, especially with something like this."

The family said they are still in shock over what happened, and hope the person who hit the teenager comes forward to police.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Winnipeg Police Service non-emergency line.