Ottawa cyclist dies after hit by car door

A cyclist died Tuesday morning when she was hit by a car door that sent her into the path of a carin downtown Ottawa.

Witnesses said the woman was cycling along Queen Street at 9 a.m. ET between Metcalfe and OConnor streets when a driver opened the door of a vehicle parked on the side of the road.

The cyclist, believed to be in her 30s, was hit bythe door, lost her balance and crashed to her left into the path of a following Volkswagen sedan, witnesses said.She became trapped between the front and rear wheels.

Mike Murphy, who was driving the car directly behind the Volkswagen, said people around the car shouted at the driver to stop the car.

"I ran up with other people in the street and lifted up the right side of the vehicle and someone pulled her out from under the vehicle," said Murphy.

Paramedics arrived, performed CPR, and rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Ottawa Police collision investigators were still at the scene early Tuesday afternoon. Queen Street was closed for several hours, but was reopened by midafternoon.