THUNDER BAY – A 21-year-old Thunder Bay man faces impaired and dangerous driving charges after a collision sent two people to hospital Tuesday evening, with one suffering serious injuries, Police have reported.
Police officers were dispatched to the 1000s block of Oliver Road just before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday to respond to a head-on collision between a pickup truck and an SUV, both of which sustained significant front-end damage.
Officers determined the driver of the pickup truck had been observed swerving while travelling eastbound on Oliver, nearly striking the median while turning left onto Golf Links Road, according to a release from the Thunder Bay Police Service.
The pickup then continued northbound onto Golf Links Road and swerved into oncoming traffic, before colliding head-on with the SUV, police said.
Paramedics transported the two occupants of SUV to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for further evaluation and treatment of their injuries.
The driver of the SUV sustained significant injuries, including multiple broken bones, police reported.
A roadside screening of the pickup truck driver “determined that he was possibly impaired by alcohol,” the TBPS stated.
Officers also found empty alcohol containers in the cab of the pickup truck.
The driver was arrested and taken police headquarters, where a breath sample confirmed a blood alcohol concentration of 126 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
The suspect is charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, operation while impaired, and operation while impaired with a blood alcohol concentration over 80.
He was released on Tuesday with conditions and a future appearance date.
An investigation remains ongoing, police said.
