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The policeman, Vijayarani Mathiyalaghan, 28, was seriously injured when his motorcycle crashed on Ring Road 174, heading east, at the intersection with Highway 417. Ambulances rushed to the scene shortly after 20:30 and transported him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The collision led to the closure of the ramp to the east between 417 and the Ring Road. 174 as emergency vehicles flooded the area. The OPS confirmed “with great sadness” on Wednesday morning that the driver of the motorcycle had died from his injuries and that he was an off-duty officer. The service announced that the flags in the OPS buildings will be lowered at half-mast in honor of “our friend and colleague”. Mathiyalaghan, who passed through Vijay, left an indelible impression on the service, said Brian Samuel, interim president of the Ottawa Police Association, in a statement to OPA members.
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“Our police family lost a brother last night,” Samuel said. “We mourn the death of our friend. we will miss his presence. “The loss of someone so early in his career – what could have happened, what contribution would he have made to our police community.” Mathiyalaghan was a member of the OPS class for 2020. He served at A Platoon Central, a police station in central Ottawa. He also volunteered at Ottawa Police Hoopstars, a promotional program that uses sports to engage with the community. Hoopstars posted a memorial message for Mathiyalaghan on social media. “He left very early,” the message read. “Wonderful friend, great behavior with an infectious smile. Rest in Vijay paradise. “ In an August 2020 post on social media, Hoopstars shared a photo of Mathiyalaghan titled “Meet Our Volunteers”. Sharing information about himself, Mathiyalaghan said he was born in Sri Lanka but grew up in Ottawa, was the youngest child in his family, was a youth basketball coach and was passionate about motorcycles. Prior to joining the Ottawa Police Department, Mathiyalaghan served in the Canadian Armed Forces, demonstrating his commitment to public service, his country and his community as a police officer, Samuel said. In an interview, Samuel said that OPA and OPS will support Mathiyalaghan’s family and colleagues. The accident is being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police. In a press release, OPP said the investigation is continuing with the help of OPP Technical Collision Investigators (TCI) and the reconstruction department.
