Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young man who lost his life Tuesday night, and to everyone hurt.
Street racing is not a game. One reckless decision can take an innocent life and devastate a family forever. Our thoughts are with the victims, especially the baby fighting for life. Those who put innocent lives at risk must be held accountable.
Four people were waiting for a bus on 97 Street when a motorcycle came off the road and crashed into their shelter.
Edmonton police say the 18-year-old rider was racing a BMW. A 21-year-old man was killed. A 10-month-old baby boy has serious, potentially life-threatening injuries. His 18-year-old mother and a 46-year-old man were also seriously hurt.
The BMW kept going. Police are still looking for it.
What police say happened
At about 8:55 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, a 2004 Yamaha YZF-R6 motorcycle and a BMW were racing north on 97 Street from 118 Avenue, police said.
About two blocks later, the motorcycle went up onto the curb on the east side of the street, kept going along the sidewalk and hit a bus shelter near 120 Avenue, where four people were waiting.
Who was hurt
One person died and four were hurt. Three of the injured, and the man who died, were simply waiting for a bus.
| Who | Injuries |
|---|---|
| Man, 21, waiting at the shelter | Died in hospital |
| Baby boy, 10 months, at the shelter with his mother | Serious, potentially life-threatening |
| His mother, 18, waiting at the shelter | Serious, not life-threatening |
| Man, 46, waiting at the shelter | Serious, not life-threatening |
| Motorcycle rider, 18 | Not life-threatening |
Paramedics took all four people from the shelter to hospital, along with the rider.
Police haven’t named any of them, and they haven’t said whether the two men knew the mother and baby. No one else has been reported hurt.
The charges
The 18-year-old rider is charged with:
Dangerous operation causing death
Three counts of dangerous operation causing bodily harm
Dangerous operation causing death carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Each count of causing bodily harm carries up to 14 years. Those are maximums, not automatic sentences.
Police haven’t released his name, pending the formal laying of charges. The charges haven’t been proven in court.
Police are searching for the BMW
The biggest open question is who was driving the BMW.
Police haven’t released a description beyond the make, and no one has been charged in connection with it. Under the Criminal Code, a driver who takes part in a dangerous race can face charges even if their own vehicle doesn’t hit anyone, and Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act bans racing on public roads. Whether the BMW driver is charged will depend on what investigators find.
If you saw the crash, saw the two vehicles racing, or have dashcam video from 97 Street between 118 and 120 Avenue on Tuesday night, contact police:
Edmonton Police Service: 780-423-4567, or #377 from a mobile phone
Crime Stoppers (anonymous): 1-800-222-8477, or p3tips.com/250
A deadly few years on Edmonton roads
According to Edmonton police, 14 people had been killed in collisions in the city this year as of Sept. 10, before Tuesday’s crash.
| Year | Traffic deaths in Edmonton |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to Sept. 10) | 14 |
| 2025 | 32 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2023 | 27 |
| 2022 | 14 |
| 2021 | 18 |
Last year’s 32 was the highest of the past six years.
Edmonton adopted Vision Zero, the goal of ending all traffic deaths and serious injuries, in 2015. More than a decade later, the numbers show how far the city still has to go.
Calgary is fighting the same problem
Calgary has its own Vision Zero push, and its numbers are just as hard to read.
In 2025, 15 pedestrians were killed on Calgary roads, the most in 11 years, along with 20 motorists. The year before, the city recorded 29 fatal collisions and 571 collisions causing major injuries.
Calgary police and the city are working under a joint Safer Mobility Plan for 2024 to 2028, which aims to cut deaths and major injuries by 25 per cent. The plan starts from the idea that people will always make mistakes, so roads, speeds and enforcement should be designed so those mistakes don’t kill anyone.
That has meant speed cushions and speed humps in neighbourhoods, flashing crosswalk beacons, curb extensions and lower limits on some residential streets. It has also meant a crackdown. Calgary police and Alberta sheriffs have stepped up enforcement on Stoney Trail and other high-speed roads, and in 2025 a new city traffic safety team of peace officers issued 250 tickets and 119 warnings in its first three weeks.
The cases keep coming. This fall, Calgary police caught a learner driver going 146 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on Glenmore Trail, alone in the car, and a driver impaired by cannabis doing 90 km/h through a construction zone with workers present. In Edmonton, police caught a 17-year-old at 136 km/h in a 50 km/h construction zone on Yellowhead Trail.
Nobody was hurt in those cases. On Tuesday, the people who paid the price weren’t racing, crossing the road or even in a car. They were waiting for a bus.
One family is now grieving a young man. Another is waiting for news about their baby.
Sources
Edmonton Police Service: Police investigating fatal collision, Oct. 14, 2026 (file TR26040)
City of Calgary: Vision Zero
City of Calgary: Safer Mobility Plan annual briefing, 2025
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