London cyclist killed in collision en route to coffee meet-up with friend

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A London cyclist killed after a collision with a vehicle last week was on his way to have coffee when the crash occurred, says the friend who was waiting to meet him at a cafe.

It was shortly after 5 a.m. on June 19 when London police said they were called to a collision in the area of Hamilton Road and Rectory Street, identifying 54-year-old Rafal Szabat as the person killed. Szabat, known as “Polish” to friends, was cycling to meet his decade-long friend Guy Robert for coffee, Robert said.

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“I take responsibility, in a sense, because he was supposed to meet me,” Robert said. “We were going to grab coffee together.

“If he could do something for you, he would. He’s a great loss for a lot of people. I hope he’s in heaven because that’s where he deserves to be.”

Robert, 52, says he has felt terrible since learning of Szabat’s death. They met more than 10 years ago at the London Coffee House, a daytime social space for homeless Londoners, at 371 Hamilton Rd.

Another friend, Rob Drecic, said Szabat was a “good guy with a big heart.”

“Every time I saw him, I would say hello, and he would always say hi to me. He’s never done me wrong,” Drecic said.

Szabat’s younger brother, Mario Szabat, 51, lives in British Columbia. He recalled dropping his children off at school when he got a call from London police about the fatal collision.

“It was terrible. He was just going to a coffee shop he always went to, having a coffee with his friends,” he said. “That’s how he always started his day.

“His story was not a really very happy story. He was able to help everyone, but he wouldn’t accept any help for himself.”

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The two brothers emigrated with their parents to Canada from Poland in the 1990s.

According to Mario, his brother had struggled with addiction for more than 10 years, problems that began after a car crash in the early 2000s that left him in a coma for three weeks.

“After the accident, I just looked at his eyes, and they were empty. Everything changed for him right there,” he said.

Due to addiction, Szabat lost contact with his family, including visiting rights to see his 11-year-old son, his brother said. “He really missed his son and talked about him all the time.”

Over the years, Szabat’s condition worsened, his brother said, especially after the death from COVID-19 of their mother, who had been his biggest supporter.

“He took that (her death) very hard because the help he was getting from her disappeared,” Mario Szabat said.

Rafal Szabat lived at the American Plaza Motel, at 2031 Dundas St. in east London, his brother said, adding that when he went there to collect his belongings, he found a surprisingly well-organized personal space.

“He maintained cleanliness and composure all the time. Even when he was at his lowest, he always tried,” Mario Szabat said.

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Other than one shirt and a pair of socks, he had nothing left in the apartment.

“My brother was torn between Poland and Canada. He missed Poland a lot but loved Canada at the same time,” Mario Szabat said. “I don’t think he ever found a proper place for himself. If he was able to actually find it, perhaps the things would be totally different.”

Police have said the vehicle’s driver remained at the scene and the investigation was ongoing. On Tuesday, a police spokesperson said there was no new information regarding the case.

bbaleeiro@postmedia.com

@BeaBaleeiro

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