80-year-old driver suffers life-threatening injuries in Armstrong crash

The 80-year-old driver was airlifted to hospital yesterday with serious life-threatening injuries following a collision that saw Highway 97A outside of Armstrong closed for much of yesterday afternoon.

According to a Vernon North Okanagan RCMP media release, the incident took place at the intersection of Highway 97A and Rosedale Avenue at roughly 3:35 p.m. yesterday, March 15.

Police say the 88-year-old SUV driver attempted to turn left across the highway but was struck on the driver’s side by a southbound pickup truck. The SUV driver was left trapped in the vehicle until the Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department extracted the driver.

"Due to the serious injuries of the trapped driver, BC Air Ambulance was requested," Vernon RCMP spokesperson Corp. Tania Finn said in the release. "Our frontline officers stopped traffic in both directions to provide a safe spot for the helicopter to land on the highway."

RCMP says the 88-year-old driver was transported to hospital by B.C. Air Ambulance with serious life-threatening injuries. The couple in the pickup truck, who are in their 70s, were also transported to hospital with serious non-life-threatening injuries.

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