Paralympic gold medallist Kieran Modra has died in a road accident at Kingsford, north of Adelaide.

Key points: Paralympian Kieran Modra has died in a cycling accident

Paralympian Kieran Modra has died in a cycling accident He had won five gold medals between 1988 to 2016

He had won five gold medals between 1988 to 2016 He competed in three different sports at eight Paralympic Games

The 47-year-old was cycling on the Sturt Highway just after 7:00am, when he was hit by a car travelling in the same direction.

He died at the scene.

The driver of the car, a Kia sedan, was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital as a precaution.

Superintendent Bob Gray said it was the seventh death within seven days on South Australian roads.

"This is a tragedy, an absolute tragedy, for the people that are left behind, not only the person that's affected and people need to really start understanding, this has massive consequences, there's a family, there's a wife, there's husbands, daughters, sons, mothers, that are impacted," he said.

"It's just another tragedy."

Modra, who was vision impaired, lived with a congenital disorder known as juvenile optic atrophy.

He was a pioneer in tandem cycling and competed in three sports at eight Paralympic Games.

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According to Paralympics Australia, he made his debut in 1988 at the Seoul Paralympics, representing Australia in athletics.

He went on to compete in swimming at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona, where he won bronze for the 100m and 200m backstroke.

He began cycling competitively in 1995, winning his first Paralympic gold the following year.

In December 2011, he had an accident while riding and collided with a car while training.

He broke two vertebrae in his neck.

However, he recovered to compete in the London 2012 Games, winning the gold in the track individual pursuit B.

The Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) described Modra as a "supporter and friend" in a statement posted to social media.

"We are very saddened to hear of the passing of long-time supporter and friend of the RSB, Kieran Modra, in a cycling accident on Wednesday morning," the statement read.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Kerry and the Modra family at this difficult time."

'Never anticipated something like this'

Cycling Australia athlete welfare officer Murray Lydeamore has known Modra since about 1995 and told the ABC he was an "incredibly talented" athlete who also had a caring side to him.

"He would take the opportunity to encourage other athletes, not only within Australia but overseas as well, but he could also be a very strong person in terms of getting the best out of himself," he said.

"He knew what his journey was like and he wanted to encourage others to pursue those goals and not to be held back by what would be seen to be a disability or an impairment."

Modra (third right) was a world record holder in the cycling individual pursuit. ( Supplied: SASI )

Mr Lydeamore said when he heard the news he was devastated and immediately thought of Modra's family.

"I'm still trying to come to terms with it, I was only talking to him just over a week ago," he said.

"His two daughters have a similar vision impairment to him so it's going to be hard on Kerry and the girls.

"For all of us who have known him over the years, we're stunned by it. We never, ever, ever anticipated something like this."

'A giant of Paralympic sport'

Paralympics Australia said it was mourning the loss of the "legendary" Paralympian.

Paralympics Australia chief executive Lynne Anderson said the news had shattered the Australian Paralympic community.

"We are in shock and we are absolutely devastated," Ms Anderson said.

"Kieran is a giant of Australian Paralympic sport, not only because of his competitive success, but also because of his wider contribution to the Paralympic movement across multiple sports over many years.

"He has left a legacy that will live on."