Four people injured in single-vehicle crash on Okanagan Connector

A collision on the Okanagan Connector that sent four people to hospital yesterday morning is being investigated by B.C. RCMP Highway patrol.

Just before 5 p.m. yesterday, May 25, West Kelowna RCMP and emergency medical services responded to a report of a single vehicle rollover collision west of Peachland on Highway 97C, near the Pennask Summit.

Officers found a badly damaged Kia Rio once arriving on scene, with four passengers suffering varying degrees of injury and in need of medical attention.

The driver, a West Kelowna woman in her 50s, suffered serious injuries and was airlifted from the scene in grave condition.

The three passengers included an adult man and two younger children who all suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. They were transported to hospital by ambulance.

"Although the investigation into the causal factors is in its early stages, police believe that the driver had been under the influence of an intoxicating substance while behind the wheel. As such, a criminal impaired driving investigation is now underway. Investigators have not yet ruled out speed, and both road or weather conditions as additional contributing factors in this devastating crash,” police spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said in a press release issued this afternoon.

A collision analyst was sent to the scene to assist in the ongoing investigation, control of which has been assumed by B.C. Highway patrol out of Kelowna.

Anyone who might have witnessed the crash or who has dash camera footage of the incident is asked to contact police at 250-491-5354.

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