UPDATE: Three injured, one seriously, in Vernon head-on crash

VERNON – A three vehicle crash on Highway 97 just north of Vernon sent three people to hospital and closed the route in both directions for about three hours Friday afternoon.

The crash happened around 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20 at the intersection of Highway 97 and Old Kamloops Road. Two cars and a semi were involved.

The driver of a Ford Escort either didn’t stop or yield before pulling onto the highway and was t-boned by an Audi with a driver and a passenger inside, according to Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk.

The crash caused the Audi to fly into the path of the oncoming semi and the vehicles hit head-on.

The person driving the Audi was airlifted to Kelowna hospital and is expected to recover, Molendyk says in a media release.

The driver of the Escort and the passenger of the Audi were taken to Vernon Jubilee Hospital. The driver of the semi wasn’t hurt.

The highway was closed for about three hours while RCMP officers investigated. No word yet if any charges will be laid.

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To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 2:37 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 to include new information from RCMP about the patient airlift.

— This story was updated at 2:57 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 to add estimated time of opening.

— This story was updated at 3:32 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 to add contributed photos of the crash scene.

— This story was updated at 4:42 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 to add the highway had reopened.

— This story was updated at 12:42 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 20, 2015 to add more information from the RCMP.