Guelph man pleads guilty to fleeing fatal crash involving cyclist [Video]

A Guelph driver, who previously admitted to failing to stop after a crash, instead plead guilty to a different charge on Friday.

John Simpson-Bard said he was behind the wheel of a Ford sedan that struck a Guelph cyclist on Sept. 5. He also left the scene of that collision before the arrival of first responders.

Simpson-Bard was arrested hours later.

The cyclist, Susan Bard, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. She died the next day, on what would have been her 79th birthday.

Bard and Simpson-Bard are not related.

Guilty pleas

Simpson-Bard was initially charged with failing to stop after an accident causing bodily harm. That was later upgraded to failing to remain at a collision causing death and operating an unsafe vehicle.

On Nov. 26, he plead guilty to the lesser charge – failing to stop after an accident causing bodily harm.

The judge then decided to delay the sentencing to allow Bard’s family time to prepare their victim impact …