Police ticket driver after electric wheelchair accident

VERNON – A person driving a motorized wheelchair was sent to hospital Thursday after being hit by a car.

Const. Daniel Gow says an investigation revealed the car was reversing out of an alleyway onto 30 Street, near A&W, and struck the electric wheelchair, May 14.

The person on the wheelchair suffered minor injuries and has been released from hospital, Gow says.

The driver of the car was handed a ticket for reversing when unsafe, but it appears there was also at least some responsibility on the part of the wheelchair operator, who earned a warning.

Gow says the accident occurred at a non-designated crosswalk, and since electric wheelchairs are considered pedestrians under the Motor Vehicle Act, the individual was warned to be careful about obstructing traffic.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.