Vernon RCMP
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
Republished October 23, 2014 - 10:19 AM
Original Publication Date October 23, 2014 - 7:16 AM
VERNON – A Kelowna woman is dead and a Vernon woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after their car was T-boned by a mini-van in downtown Vernon in the early hours Thursday morning.
RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the accident happened around 1:15 a.m. at the intersection of 30 Avenue and 32 Street (Highway 97).
He says a Chevy Uplander struck a Pontiac sedan, killing the driver and seriously injuring the passenger, both in their 30s. The driver is from Kelowna and the passenger — who was rushed to Vernon Jubilee Hospital and then transferred to Kelowna General Hospital with very serious injuries — is from Vernon. Their names will not be released until police notify their families.
The minivan was travelling eastbound on 30 Avenue and the driver, a 37-year-old Vernon woman, allegedly drove through the red light and hit the car on the driver’s door, according to police.
The intersection was closed overnight and into the morning hours as crash analysts investigated, causing traffic congestion during the rush hour.
“Our investigating officer made a determination that the driver of the van was under the influence of liquor and started an impaired driving investigation,” Molendyk says. “She has been held for court today (Thursday) to answer to charges of impaired driving causing death and impaired driving causing bodily harm.”
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.
— This story was updated at 10:19 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014 to include more details from the RCMP about the crash.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014