Oak Bay police say a 19-year-old driver and his passenger are lucky that a tree stood in their path when they veered off Beach Drive early Friday morning.
Around 2 a.m. the male driver crashed through Queens Park and struck a tree, which Oak Bay Deputy Police Chief Ray Bernoties says “quite literally” prevented the car from ending up in the ocean.
Thankfully the 19 yr old male driver & passenger survived w/ only minor injuries. At 2am they crashed thru Queens Park & hit a tree. Otherwise they'd be in ocean. Now he can tell his friends that you can get charged w/ Impaired Driving by Drug. He chose to learn the hard way. pic.twitter.com/U1Ar727IZl
— Oak Bay Police (@OakBayPolice) January 10, 2020
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While the driver and passenger were able to walk away with only minor injuries, police suspect the driver was impaired by drugs, and he was charged with Impaired Driving by Drug.
Cannabis or alcohol impairment aren’t suspected, Bernoties said, and a blood demand test was issued to determine the type and amount of drugs in the driver’s system.
Earlier Thursday night police received a report of a possible impaired driver involving the same car.
“This young man is so lucky that he didn’t kill someone,” Bernoties said. “As it is, he has just dramatically changed his life’s trajectory through this senseless decision to drive while under the influence of drugs. I hope he cherishes the 20 bucks he saved on a cab.”
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