Man injured in Vernon highway crash ticketed for bad driving

VERNON – A driver involved in an ugly highway accident in Vernon over the weekend was seen speeding and driving erratically leading up to the crash, police say.

The 28-year-old Kelowna man was headed northbound on Highway 97 in a Honda Civic when witnesses saw him strike the median, drive through a red light, hit a pole and collide with another car, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. His vehicle landed upside down in the ditch.

The other car that was hit, a Chrysler, was badly damaged but the two occupants, a 44-year-old driver and a 65-year-old passenger, both women from the Vernon area, were not injured.

The 28-year-old was transported to Vernon Jubilee Hospital with minor injuries. Police have served him with tickets for driving without due care, failing to obey a red light and failing to keep right. Investigators do not believe alcohol was involved. 

Both vehicles were towed from the scene. Traffic was slowed down for about an hour while emergency crews attended the accident.

To contact a 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.