Trail police are cautioning drivers to #shiftintowinter after the first snowfall caused a number of collisions last week.
The first incident Sgt. Mike Wicentowich outlined to illustrate his case about slowing for conditions happened just outside of Rossland on Thursday (Oct. 22) morning.
Shortly after 11 a.m. first responders were called to scene of a single vehicle rollover on Highway 3B near the Alpine city.
According to witnesses the driver, a 29-year-old Warfield man, was northbound in a newer model Toyota Tacoma when he allegedly failed to negotiate a corner on the highway and struck a cement barricade.
The man and his truck launched into the air and landed a distance away from the impact point before rolling over onto its side.
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue with assistance from BC Emergency Health Services extracted the man from his truck. He was then immediately taken to hospital for treatment.
“Trail RCMP believed that impairment by alcohol may be a factor in this incident,” Sgt. Wicentowich reported. “The police investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is ongoing.”
He asks witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to contact the Trail RCMP non-emergency line.
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Another crash Wicentowich reported on occurred Friday (Oct. 23) morning in the 400-block of Perdue Street in West Trail.
In that case, a 43-year-old Trail man crashed his 2007 Chevrolet Malibu into a fence in the front yard of a residence.
Although it was believed that the driver had not sustained any injuries in the crash, the man was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Investigators determined that a concrete barricade in front of the residence had absorbed most of the impact in this crash and that snow and slippery road conditions may have been a factor in the crash.
A third incident Wicentowich is reporting on happened Friday night just after 5 p.m. in downtown Trail.
Officers responded to a report of a driver colliding with a parking metre.
“Police have learned that the operator of a black 2000 Chevrolet pickup truck, a 31-year-old Trail woman, had allegedly proceeded through a red light at the intersection of Bay Avenue and Spokane Street before colliding with the metre, which was dislodged from the ground as a result,” he said.
“The truck was inoperable after the incident and had to be towed away from the scene.”
The woman was uninjured in the crash.
Trail RCMP suspect that a combination of poor weather and road conditions, driver error and a lack of winter-rated tires may have contributed to this motor vehicle incident.
The woman was fined $360 for allegedly driving without due care.
Trail RCMP remind everyone to be prepared for winter driving by:
• slowing down;
• driving defensively;
• driving according to weather and roadway conditions;
• having an emergency survival kit in their vehicle in case of an incident;
• having good winter-rated full set of tires on their vehicle;
• checking the weather and for travel warnings before leaving home.
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