WADE PATERSON
Morning Star Staff
An Edmonton family is thanking a higher power after they escaped unscathed from a crash that nearly sent their 28-foot motorhome into Wood Lake.
Mark Norris was driving his two children, Claudia and Jack, as well as Claudia’s boyfriend and another friend southbound on Highway 97 near Oyama Road Thursday, when a car, also travelling southbound, attempted to pass the vehicle in the right lane, just before the lanes merge.
An RCMP officer on the scene explained the woman driving the car then lost control, went into the ditch, came out of the ditch facing eastbound and collided with the recreational vehicle. Both vehicles skidded eastbound across the highway, toward Wood Lake; however, a tree prevented the vehicles from entering the water.
“God showed up here today, it’s an absolute miracle,” said Mark.
The female driver was taken to Kelowna General Hospital with undetermined injuries; all five passengers of the motorhome were uninjured.
“I was asleep. I just remember looking up and seeing all the pots and pans and all our food coming at me,” said 18-year-old Claudia.
Seventeen-year-old Jack was sitting in the passenger seat, changing a song on his phone, when he saw the car coming toward the side of the vehicle.
Mark noted witnesses who attended the scene told him the driver of the car had been passing other vehicles at an estimated speed of 120 or 130 km/h.
Traffic was backed up for several kilometres in both directions on Highway 97 while crews attended.
The Norris family plans to continue on with their vacation at their cabin in Fintry as planned.
