Motorist charged in fatal vehicle-cyclist incident

An Ottawa woman has been charged in connection with the death of a cyclist who was killed downtown after hitting the opening door of a parked car.

Kathy Chow, 41, has been charged under the Highway Traffic Act with opening a vehicle door improperly, Ottawa police said in a news release.

She faces a $110 fine if convicted.

Danielle Naçu, 33, was cycling on Queen Street just before 9 a.m. on Oct. 11 and when the car’s door swung open. The collision sent her into traffic, where she was run over by a Volkswagen sedan.

Naçu was later pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

The charge comes a day after Ontario’s chief coroner announced a review into the roughly 75 cycling deaths in the province from 2006 to 2010.

Dr. Dan Cass, a regional coroner in Toronto, is supervising the inquiry, which will make recommendations on preventing the deaths of more cyclists. His report is due next spring.

There will be no further charges related to Naçu's death, police said.