Vernon

Photo: RCMP

A man who claimed to fall asleep at the wheel flipped his vehicle just north of Vernon.

Around 10:30 p.m. on Friday night, an officer was working traffic enforcement on Highway 97 near Irish Creek Road and was monitoring the speed of northbound traffic.

RCMP Spokesperson Greg Molendyk says two northbound vehicles were approaching at approximately 80 km/h when the lead vehicle did not follow the curve of the highway.

"It crossed the road drove across the gravel lot, beside our officer’s vehicle and up the bank behind his car. The 2002 Toyota truck then rolled over, landing upside down on the southbound lane of Highway 97."

Molendyk says the officer was able to quickly protect the accident scene.

The driver, a 68-year-old from Falkland, explained to the officer that he had fallen asleep, and was the only occupant of the vehicle, with the exception of his dog.

The dog was uninjured in the accident. 

The driver was taken by ambulance to hospital in Vernon where he was treated and released with minor injuries. The driver was issued a Violation Ticket for Fail to Keep Right.