Cop crashes car in Spallumcheen

A cop ended up rolling his vehicle near the Spallumcheen industrial park on Hwy 97A while on his way to a suspicious person complaint around 4 a.m. Wednesday.

"Two officers from the Vernon Detachment were responding in separate vehicles to a report of a suspicious person/ prowler complaint in the Enderby area," Gord Molendyk, spokesperson for the RCMP, says. The mounties were driving north on Hwy 97A.

About half a kilometer north of Pleasant Valley Rd., the officer leading the way rolled his vehicle onto the right hand side of the road. The car came to a stop resting on the passenger side. The second cop reported the accident immediately.

"Our officer, a four year member, had to be extracted from the vehicle using (the) Jaws of Life," Molendyk says.

The cop was taken to Vernon Jubilee Hospital by ambulance. 

"He was conscious and talking to emergency personal when he left the scene," Molendyk says.

After being examined by doctors and medical staff he has since been released from hospital.
 
The highway was shut down for a short time and then reduced to single lane traffic while the accident was being investigated by the North Okanagan Traffic Services and a traffic reconstructionist.

Molendyk says the accident might have been the result of black ice. "We haven't determined 100% yet, that's why we have an investigator there."

He adds that police have a slightly higher risk of getting in accidents because of their large amount of time spent on the road. "The type of work we do, the amount of miles put in, it puts us at a slightly higher risk… We're on the road more than the average person."

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230