A 27-year-old Metchosin man was arrested after fleeing from a single-vehicle crash that shut down West Saanich Road Wednesday night for several hours.
Just before 8 p.m., a white Chevy Geo crashed into a pole and ended up in a ditch just south of the Roadhouse Bar & Grill. When officers arrived the driver was nowhere to be found. A police dog searched the scene and located the man a short distance north of the crash.
He was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released into police custody, arrested for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and impaired driving.
“Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor,” said Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen. He added that the nature of the road – which is quite curvy – makes the area prone to accidents.
“That stretch of road, over the years, has had many similar accidents,” he said. “All these curves are well-marked, well-signed, and shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. And yet we still find cars go off the road there quite regularly.”
West Saanich Road was closed late into the night as police crash analysts surveyed the scene.
kslavin@saanichnews.com
