Drove right into a tree

Photo: Google Street View

An alleged drunk driver escaped serious injury after colliding with a tree early Sunday morning in Kelowna.

On Aug. 28 at about 6:15 a.m., Kelowna RCMP responded to a report of a vehicle that had collided with a tree in the 1900 block of Pandosy Street.

Emergency crews arrived on scene to find a badly-damaged grey Honda CR-V and the lone male driver out of the vehicle.

“Preliminary findings at the scene suggested that the vehicle had been travelling northbound on Pandosy, when it failed to negotiate a right curve,” explained Const. Jesse O’Donaghey.

“As a result, it is believed that the vehicle struck the curbing, slid backwards across the roadway, over a sidewalk and into a tree on the vehicle's rear passenger side.”

O’Donaghey said investigators detected signs and symptoms of suspected alcohol intoxication during interactions with the driver at the scene. 

Police requested a roadside breath sample from the man who failed the intoxication test.

“The driver was transported to hospital for assessment and later taken to the Kelowna RCMP detachment where he provided breath samples allegedly over the legal limit,” said O’Donaghey.

The driver was released from custody, issued driving prohibitions and faces potential impaired driving charges.

Witnesses to the crash, who have not yet spoken to police, are asked to call the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.