An elderly woman escaped serious injury after crashing her car into the patio at the Sechelt Legion on Saturday night, July 18.
Sunshine Coast RCMP responded to a call of a motor vehicle accident at the Legion around 6:30 p.m.
Cpl. Steve Chubey said an 83-year-old woman was involved in the accident. He said police determined alcohol was a factor, but luckily, nobody was injured.
"RCMP attended and spoke to the driver of the vehicle as well as witnesses to the crash," said Chubey. "After an extensive investigation, police concluded that the woman was attempting to leave the parking lot in her vehicle, had backed her vehicle into a parked car, whereupon losing control of her vehicle, thus crashing into the patio."Chubey said police issued the woman with a 24-hour roadside driving prohibition and a violation ticket for driving without due care and attention. The woman's vehicle was impounded for 24 hours. In addition to the suspension and violation ticket, RCMP will be sending a request to the superintendent of motor vehicles to have the woman's licence reviewed.
"Collisions such as this often result in serious injuries to bystanders," said Chubey. "We are extremely lucky that no one was seriously injured or killed including the driver."Chubey encouraged the community to not allow their friends to drive when they've had too much to drink, no matter what age they may be.
"Nobody is exempt from drinking and driving, no matter how old you are," he said. "If your friends won't listen to your advice not to drive, then you need to call the police, otherwise next time we may not be so lucky."
