
Driver gets ticket for nasty crash; highway traffic brought to standstill south of Vernon
VERNON – There were multiple injuries in a Sunday afternoon car accident on Highway 97 south of Vernon, which halted traffic for over two hours, but fortunately no fatalities.
RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the crash at Bailey Road and Highway 97, which had northbound traffic backed up almost to Oyama, was caused by an 88-year-old driver who failed to yield coming into the intersection. The accident happened around 3:30 p.m. and the highway was shut down until about 6 p.m.
The man, from Lantzville, B.C., was turning right onto Highway 97 from Bailey Road when his Mazda CZ9 t-boned a southbound Honda Civic, Molendyk says.
The Honda was thrown off the highway, and 40 feet down the ditch on the east side of the road. The driver, 22, from Grinrod was still in the vehicle when emergency crews arrived. He sustained a fractured lower leg and was moved to Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
The 88-year-old, who fractured his ribs, and his wife were also taken to hospital for treatment of their injuries.
A traffic reconstruction analyst was called to the scene due to the seriousness of the crash, and police have now issued the 88-year-old driver a ticket for failing to yield.
Both vehicles were towed from the scene and will undergo mechanical inspections. The accident remains under further investigation.
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To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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One response
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Thanks for the info. I am sure the young driver must be from Grindrod, BC, not Grinrod, BC.
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