Paralympics legend Kieran Modra killed in bike crash

Five-time Paralympic gold medallist Kieran Modra has been killed while riding his bike north of Adelaide.

Kieran Modra, his wife Kerry Modra and their three daughters in the lead-up to the Rio Paralympics in 2016 Picture: Mark Brake

Australian five-time Paralympic gold medallist Kieran Modra has been killed while riding his bike north of Adelaide.

The visually-impaired 47-year-old was hit by a car near Gawler about 7am on Wednesday and died at the scene, while the driver was not injured but taken to hospital as a precaution.

It is believed Modra, a married father-of-three, was riding to Clare from his Hallett Cove home when the crash occurred.

The swimmer and tandem cyclist won five gold and five bronze medals at eight Paralympic Games between 1988 and 2016, and two silver medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The Royal Society for the Blind said Modra was a “longtime supporter and friend”.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Kerry and the Modra family at this difficult time,” the group said in a Facebook post.

Modra was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia in 2014 for services to sport and vision impaired people.

One of four children, he was born in Port Lincoln and grew up on a farm before attending high school in Adelaide.

His younger sister Tania won two gold medals as a tandem cycling pilot at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

Modra’s death brings South Australia’s road toll to 97 for 2019, including seven fatalities in the past week. At the same time last year, the toll stood at 63. Superintendent Bob Gray, officer in charge of the Traffic Services Branch, said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.

“It’s an absolute tragedy for the people that are left behind, not only the person that’s affected,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“It’s just another tragedy that was needlessly put upon us that has occurred on our roads.” Superintendent Gray said drug and alcohol testing had not yet been returned, and it was not clear whether the driver involved would be charged.

AAP