A driver involved in a motor vehicle collision, early Monday morning, now faces potential criminal impaired driving charges, as a woman passenger extracted from the wreckage remains in hospital in critical condition.
On Dec. 10 at 2:13 a.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene after RCMP received a report of a single vehicle collision at the intersection of Harvey Avenue and Banks Road in Kelowna. The eastbound red Chevrolet Avalanche involved sustained severe body damage after the vehicle struck a traffic light standard along the highway.
“The extent of the intrusion of damage into the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle was so significant, that the civilian motorists who were first on scene were unable to observe a severely injured female, in the rear passenger compartment,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. “Emergency crews were required to extricate the female who was rushed to hospital in critical condition.”
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General duty investigators were able to detect signs and symptoms that led them to suspect that the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle was affected by alcohol. As a result, the driver was provided with a demand and subsequently failed a test performed using a roadside screening device. The driver was then provided with an additional demand and transported to the local detachment, where he provided samples of his breath in excess of the legal limit.
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The driver, a 26 year-old Kelowna man, who sustained relatively minor injuries as a result of the collision, remains in police custody at this time. He now faces a number of potential charges and driving prohibitions.
The female passenger remains in a medically induced coma in intensive care. Her injuries are considered life threatening in nature.
If you witnessed this crash and have not yet spoken to police you are urged to contact the Kelowna RCMP Municipal Traffic Section at 250-762-3300.
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