14 DAY TRIAL // A 23-year-old cyclist has incurred fatal wounds after being hit by a vehicle during the Severn Bridge Road Race near Olveston in Gloucestershire, western England.
The George Herald details that the incident occurred on Sunday, March 3. The competition is organized in the UK every year, and this is the first time a fatality has been recorded during the race.
Junior Heffernan, of Yelverton in Devon, was an experienced cyclist and competed in the Junior European Triathlon Championships, adds This Is Plymouth.
A university student, he was also a swimmer on the Kelly College team, the director of which has described him as "a young man with an extraordinary gift and capacity for hard work."
According to the Mirror, he was on the third lap of the 10-lap, 6.6-mile (10.6-km) circuit when the collision took place. No details are available at this point about the identity of the motorist involved in the crash. Whether or not charges are pending for the driver of the vehicle is also unknown.
The cyclist was given CPR after the crash by a paramedic from the South Western Ambulance Service, volunteering for the race. Great Western Air Ambulance EMTs provided further assistance when they arrived at the scene.
This was Heffernan's first time riding for the Herbalife-Leisure Lakes team. A spokesman for the team has confirmed that Junior died on the spot.
"He was a young man with an enormous talent and enthusiasm for bike racing.
"His out going personality and infectious nature meant that for the short time that his team mates knew him he was welcomed and well liked by all and the team were excited by the prospect of seeing him race.
"The managers and team members would like to pass on their condolences to the friends and family of Junior Heffernan at this difficult time," he says.