Car flips into Skaha Lake

PENTICTON – Two men are safe after their car went off Eastside Road and into Skaha Lake early this morning.

The two Penticton males were southbound, going to Oliver when they lost control of the vehicle on ice just north of the Heritage Hills turnoff at approximately 1 a.m., Jan. 6. The vehicle, a 1998 Plymouth Neon, left the road and rolled off a two metre embankment, ending up on its roof in shallow water. Both men were able to escape unharmed but cold and wet, catching the attention of a passing motorist. They were taken to hospital where they were checked and released.

The car remained in Skaha Lake into late morning Tuesday, attracting attention of passing motorists. RCMP Media Relations Sgt. Rick Dellebuur said towing services decided to retrieve the vehicle in daylight hours.

Dellebuur reported few accidents over the last two days in spite of the heavy snow that has fallen across the region.

“We’ve had no major accidents over the last couple of days,” he said, noting traffic volumes were down as people made a choice to stay off the highways.  He also noted ice and snow was melting on major routes this morning as temperatures rose above freezing in the area.

“Things could change at a moment’s notice,” he added, noting the possibility of freezing rain in the forecast. “People need to drive according to road conditions and take care."

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

– This story was updated at 11 a.m. to include information from an RCMP media release.