Three sent to Kelowna hospital after elderly driver hits gas instead of brake

KELOWNA – A 95-year-old West Kelowna man may face charges of following another vehicle too closely after he mistook the accelerator for the break, causing an accident that sent three people to hospital in Kelowna this morning.

Kelowna RCMP and Traffic Services responded to a two vehicle crash on Harvey Avenue at the Abbott Street intersection just before 10:30 a.m., Dec. 11. A red Kia traveling westbound changed lanes and was rear ended by a blue Mazda, according to a media release from the RCMP.

“It is believed that the driver of the Mazda pressed his accelerator pedal instead of his brake pedal,” says Cpl. Joe Duncan says in the release. “As a result the red Kia went off road right and collided with a brick wall in front of a hotel, and the blue Mazda collided with and knocked down the eastbound left hand turn traffic light pole.”

The driver of the Kia, an 18-year-old Peachland woman and her 21-year-old male passenger, as well as the driver of the Mazda, a 95-year-old West Kelowna man, were all taken to hospital as a precaution, police say. Their injuries are thought to be minor.

Police have recommended charges of following too closely under the Motor Vehicle Act against the driver of the Mazda.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.