A family of four – including a three-year-old and a seven-year-old, were all taken to Sechelt Hospital with minor injuries after the parked vehicle they were in was struck head-on by an SUV on Trail Avenue in Sechelt.
Sunshine Coast RCMP were notified of the collision by the BC Ambulance Service around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5. Police say the family had been sitting in a black pickup truck parked off the roadway in the 5700 block of Trail Avenue, when a green Ford Escape – which had been southbound on Trail Avenue – veered off the roadway and collided with the truck.
The 73-year-old male driver of the Escape had to be extricated from his vehicle by firefighters and was subsequently transported to Sechelt Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
After learning that the driver may have been impaired, police obtained a breath sample from him, which resulted in a fail reading. An impaired driving investigation is now underway.
“Any collision can be frightening, but this collision – where a young family is injured and it is believed that impairment was a cause – is especially concerning,” said Const. Harrison Mohr with Sunshine Coast RCMP. “Fortunately none of the family members were seriously injured, but this highlights the dangers of impaired driving. Please don’t drink and drive.”
RCMP are continuing to investigate. If anyone witnessed the collision and has not yet spoken with police, or if anyone saw a green Ford Escape driving in the area of Trail Avenue around 8 p.m. on Sunday, please contact Sunshine Coast RCMP at 604-885-2266 and quote the file number – 2017-674.
