Twenty-Six Deaths This Year, and One That Could Have Been Different

There are mornings when the ordinary rhythms of a city—the early commutes, the first light on empty roads, the quiet before the day fully begins—are interrupted by something that cannot be undone. At 5:56 a.m. on Friday, emergency crews responded to a collision at the intersection of West Hunt Club Road and Merivale Road in Ottawa's southwest end. A motorcycle and a vehicle had collided. The motorcyclist, a 21-year-old woman, was treated at the scene for critical injuries and transported to the hospital, where she died .

The vehicle involved in the collision did not remain. It left before police arrived, and the Ottawa Police Service's Fatal Collision Investigation Unit is now searching for a dark-colored SUV with front-end damage, possibly to its right front bumper . Investigators have asked residents, motorists, and businesses in the area to review dashcam, surveillance, or doorbell camera footage from around the time of the collision. The road was closed between Merivale and Sunderland/Roydon while police investigated, reopening just before 11:30 a.m. .

The death adds to a troubling pattern in Ottawa this year. Police have reported 26 traffic-related fatalities in 2026, surpassing the 23 recorded in all of 2025. Among those killed were seven pedestrians, one cyclist, four motorcyclists, one ATV operator, and one moped or seated scooter operator. Investigators have noted a concerning increase in collisions involving older pedestrians and motorcyclists. The common contributing factors, according to police, include speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, careless and dangerous driving, and failing to follow the rules of the road .

The hit-and-run aspect of this collision adds a layer of anguish that is difficult to measure. For the family of the young woman who died, there is the loss itself, and then there is the absence of accountability—the knowledge that the person who was there, who saw what happened, chose to drive away. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Fatal Collision Investigation Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 2345. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 .

The investigation continues, and the road where the collision occurred has reopened to traffic. But for those who knew the woman who died, the intersection of West Hunt Club and Merivale will remain a place marked by loss. Police have urged road users to slow down, to put distractions away, and to make safety a priority every time they travel. It is advice that arrives too late for one family, and perhaps just in time for another.

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Sources: CTV News, Ottawa Police Service, Radio-Canada, Yahoo News Canada