The family of an officer who was killed during a charity motorbike ride has been left ‘shattered’ after he was struck by a car as his son rode next to him.
Detective Senior Sergeant Victor Kostiuk, 59, died after a car veered onto the wrong side of the road on Friday.
Mr Kostiuk was riding with his son in the Wall to Wall charity ride from Melbourne to Canberra. The event is to honour fallen police members as part of a motorcade of 300.
Around 2.20pm a car was travelling west along the Princes Highway at Mount Raymond Regional Park when Mr Kostiuk was struck.
Detective Senior Sergeant Victor Kostiuk, 59, died after a car veered onto the wrong side of the road
Detective Senior Sergeant Victor Kostiuk and his son were riding just ahead of the Wall to Wall ride to the National Police Memorial in Canberra to honour fallen police members as part of a motorcade of 300
The car struck Mr Kostiuk’s bike that was travelling east near Tower Road.
He died at the scene.
His son, detective Felix Kostiuk, was riding next to his father when the collision happened.
A 21-year-old man was taken into custody following the incident.
The memorial ride was temporarily stopped before the participants – including Felix – decided to resume with a ‘determined mood’.
Mr Kostiuk was a ‘well respected’ expert in the field of preventing family violence and had also worked in CIU and homicide.
During the ride at Cabbage Tree Creek, Victor was struck by a car that veered across the road, with the police member of nearly 40 years dying at the scene
Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said Mr Kostiuk, who had been an officer for about 40 years, was a fantastic member of the organisation, ABC reported.
Mr Kostiuk had recently been made head of the Somerville Family Violence Unit.
‘He was really chuffed just the other day to have been recently appointed back to the rank of detective senior sergeant, something he was particularly proud of.’
He said the family were ‘clearly shattered’.
Police have implored road users to take care after a ‘tragic, tragic’ 24 hours in country Victoria, with four people dead in separate of road incidents.
The causes of the crashes are being investigated, with police looking into factors like inattention, fatigue, alcohol and speed.
The memorial ride was temporarily stopped before the participants decided to resume with a ‘determined mood’
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