RCMP continue to investigate a pair of serious holiday weekend accidents in the North Okanagan.
One involved a search for a driver of car that went off Highway 97A at Eastside Road in Grindrod and struck a railway traffic light Friday at 5:30 a.m.
The driver, believed to be a man, fled the scene on foot while a female passenger in the vehicle suffered serious injuries. She was dealt with at the scene by emergency services personnel, then transported to Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
“It was about four hours later that police located the suspected driver and he was arrested at a residence in Enderby,” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Gerry Kovacs. “Alcohol is believed to be a factor in this incident.”
The male suspect, 32, from Enderby, is facing a charge of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
The passenger was taken to VJH with serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries.
Any witnesses to this incident are asked to call the Enderby RCMP at 250-838-6818.
Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP and the BC Ambulance Service also responded to a single-vehicle accident Saturday at 7 a.m. on Highway 97A at Pleasant Valley Road in Spallumcheen.
The 31-year-old female driver from Salmon Arm, the lone occupant of the vehicle, went off the road. The vehicle went down an embankment and through a fence. The driver was ejected from the vehicle, which police said rolled numerous times.
The driver sustained serious life-threatening injuries and was transported to Vernon Jubilee Hospital. Her condition improved to the point she was transferred to Kelowna General Hospital and underwent surgery for her injuries.
As of Monday, police say the woman was listed in serious but stable condition, but was able to talk to police.
“She had gone in critical, got her stabilized and won’t transport until they get to that stage, so that’s a good thing,” said Kovacs.
Any witnesses to the crash are asked to call the Armstrong RCMP detachment at 250-546-3028.