UPDATE: 12:37 p.m.
The police officer who was involved in a collision with a semi-truck on Highway 33, remains in hospital recovering from his injuries.
According to Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey the veteran police dog handler remains in good spirits with family, friends and colleagues at his side. His canine partner, underwent a full examination at a local vet and appears to be relatively unharmed.
The semi tractor driver has since been released from hospital.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
“Although traffic collision investigators obtained statements from witnesses at the scene, police are strongly encouraging all witnesses, who have not yet spoken to police, to come forward,” said O’Donaghey.
The RCMP is now appealing to motorists with dash cameras that were in the area before, during or following the collision, to review their footage and contact investigators. Business and home owners in the area are also urged to review their video, even if the images don’t capture the collision event.
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UPDATE: June 4
The police officer rushed to hospital Monday night, after the Chevrolet Tahoe he had been driving collided with a commercial vehicle along Highway 33 near Loseth Drive, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said the officer was a Constable of the Kelowna RCMP Police Dog Services section was actively responding to a priority call for service.
“The Kelowna RCMP Municipal Traffic Section has taken carriage of the collision investigation, which is in it’s very early stages,” stated O’Donaghey. “Due to the extent of the damage caused to the police SUV, fire fighters required the jaws of life to safely extricate the experienced police officer from the passenger compartment.”
His K9 partner was safely pulled from the wreckage, by his fellow officers, and has since been transported to a local veterinarian for further assessment.
The driver of the semi tractor, who sustained what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries in the crash, was medically assessed at the scene and transported to hospital as a precaution.
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Original:
A suburban SUV collided with a semi-truck Monday evening on Highway 33.
The incident happened about 6:30 p.m. near Loseth Road in Black Mountain.
Highway 33 was closed in the eastbound lanes while emergency crews were on scene.
According to a witness the police vehicle had its sirens on and was travelling eastbound Highway 33 when the semi-truck pulled in front of the officer and cut the suburban off.
The semi was attempting to pull into a drive way when it was rear ended by the police SUV.
Both the officer and the truck driver were taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.
One witness stated she heard a loud bang and came out of her home to see what happened. She told the Capital News she was shocked to see the extent of the damage.
A dog was reported to also be in the vehicle but was quickly extracted without injuries.
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