IIO called to Ladysmith after cyclist injured overnight

The office that investigates B.C. police incidents that result in death or serious harm to members of the public has been called to Ladysmith.

The Independent Investigations Office is looking into the role police played in an incident that left a man with serious injuries in the community shortly after midnight Tuesday morning.

Mounties told the IIO that they were called around 12:45 a.m. because a man was "waving at passing motorists and possibly in distress on the southbound side of the Trans Canada Highway near Westdowne Road," according to a statement from the IIO.

Police found a man matching the description they had received "riding a motorized bicycle on the northbound side of the highway near Platt Road," the IIO said.

When they attempted to conduct a traffic stop, "the bicycle collided with the curb" and the man suffered his injuries, according to the statement.

The IIO said the man was taken to a local hospital after the responding police officers provided initial medical assistance.

The IIO investigates whenever an incident involving police results in death or serious harm, regardless of whether there is an allegation of wrongdoing on the part of police.

Anyone who witnessed the incident in Ladysmith or has dash cam or other video from the area is asked to contact the IIO's witness line at 855-446-8477 or to use the contact form on the IIO website.