By Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck

During the past week Columbia Valley RCMP responded to about 45 calls for service.  The following is a small sample of those calls.

Watchful neighbour

On April 26 at about 9 a.m., RCMP was dispatched to a residence in Juniper Heights Trailer Park for a possible break in. The complainant phoned police after seeing both doors of a nearby residence left open believing the owner has been away for a few months. RCMP immediately attended and while on scene, the owner of the residence arrived home and explained that he got home last night and that there was an odour in the home, so he left the doors open to try and get rid of the odour. As it happened, there was no break in. The neighbour was informed and thanked for keeping an eye out for the neighbours.

Rollover crash on Toby Creek Road

Later in the evening of April 26, Columbia Valley RCMP was dispatched to a single vehicle roll over on Toby Creek Road. The report indicated that there were two occupants and no reported injuries. RCMP responded, along with BC Ambulance to find the occupants standing on the shoulder of the road.

Both the driver and the passenger stated they were not injured from the scary event. The driver explained that she was driving up Toby Creek Road toward Panorama Resort when a large animal (large deer or elk) stepped up to the side of the road; in an effort to avoid hitting it, she swerved to miss the animal causing her to lose control of the car.  The event caused her to drive into the ditch, through a fence, and caused the vehicle to roll two or three times.

Impaired driver in Invermere

On April 28 at about 11:30 p.m., Columbia Valley RCMP was on patrol in Invermere when an officer observed a red pickup truck that did not have working brake lights. A traffic stop was initiated and the driver of the truck eventually pulled over. RCMP confronted the driver who appeared to have a slight slur in his speech. Also noted were the several empty beer cans in the rear seat of the truck.

The driver admitted to leaving a local drinking tavern after consuming one beer while waiting to drive a friend home. The driver was escorted to the police vehicle for the purpose of obtaining breath samples. Once inside the vehicle, the odor of liquor on the driver’s breath was more pronounced. A screening device demand was presented. Two samples of his breath were obtained, both of which read “FAIL.”

The driver was served with a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition from driving and his vehicle was seized for 30 days.

One injured in two vehicle crash

At noon on May 1, RCMP received dispatch of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Swansea Forest Service Road and Westroc Mine Road, Windermere.

BC Ambulance Service was reporting that they were attending to a tractor-trailer truck and trailer versus a sport utility vehicle collision. Once RCMP arrived on scene they met with ambulance personnel as they were removing the injured occupant of a Mitsubishi Outlander. The uninjured driver of the truck advised that he had been driving a dump truck, which was towing another dump trailer south on the Westroc Mine Road. He recited that when he came around the corner he observed a vehicle in the middle of the road. He attempted to stop his truck and trailer; however, was unable to do so in time and struck the other vehicle on the driver’s side. He had been travelling the posted speed limit of 70 km/h and did not have a load in his truck at the time.

The Outlander driver was transported to the Invermere & District Hospital for further assessment of injuries. The investigation is continuing as to what exactly led to the collision.

Vehicle equipment checks coming

The month of May Columbia Valley RCMP will be looking for vehicle equipment that may not be functioning properly.  This time of year people are pulling boats and campers out of storage and travelling on our highways.  RCMP will be looking for headlights, tail lamps, and trailer lights that are not functioning properly and bringing any burnt out lights to your attention. Failure to address the issue could result in a $109 fine.

– Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck is Columbia Valley Detachment Commander

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