A Toronto man appeared in court on Sunday to face a charge of failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing death, following a collision that claimed a cyclist's life two days ago.

Tom Samson, a 35-year-old Grade 2 teacher at Toronto's Swansea Public School, died after his bicycle collided with two vehicles at the intersection of Lansdowne Avenue and Davenport Road.

The collision happened just after 6:30 a.m. on Friday. Police said the cyclist collided with a westbound red van and then a white van going the other direction.

Toronto police say the red van fled the scene.

On Saturday, a Toronto man turned himself in to police.

Miguel Oliveira, 22, appeared in court on Sunday morning on the failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing death charge. He has been remanded into custody.

Parents, students and staff grieving

For the people who worked with Samson, his sudden death has been a tough loss.

Karen Ridley, the principal at Swansea Public School, said Samson was well-liked by both staff and his students.

"He was a really, really funny guy and he would always come into the office with a smile," Ridley told CBC News on Sunday.

Ridley said his young students are upset and some may not yet fully grasp what has happened.

“Mr. Samson’s students are only in Grade 2, so I don’t think they really understand what this all means yet,” Ridley said.

"So over the next week when Mr. Samson doesn’t show up, I think that’s really going to be when it hits them that, you know, he’s no longer with us."

Robin Pilkey, the co-chair of the Swansea Parent Council, said Samson’s death has also shaken parents whose children attend the school.

"Parents are really disturbed, maybe more so than many of the children at this point because I think they have a better understanding of what this means," she said Sunday.

With a report from the CBC's Natalie Kalata