Driver of July collision charged with dangerous driving, impaired operation of a vehicle

NEWS RELEASE
THUNDER BAY POLICE SERVICE
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Officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Traffic Unit have laid charges against a driver involved in a serious July collision on Balmoral Street.

Police were originally dispatched to reports of a single-vehicle collision just after 3 a.m. on July 20 on Balmoral Street near Jasper Drive.

Officers learned a silver Jeep Wrangler was travelling southbound at a high rate of speed on Balmoral Street when it crossed over the centreline and into the northbound lanes of travel. The Jeep then left the roadway and struck a hydro pole, causing significant damage to both the vehicle and the pole.

The Jeep continued southbound into a parking lot in the 1200 block of Jasper Drive where it struck a parked trailer and another motor vehicle. The driver, who was the lone occupant and not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle.

The driver was transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre where she was treated for her serious injuries. She has since been released from the hospital. Despite the seriousness of the collision, no one else was injured.

A section of Balmoral Street, between Beverly Street and just beyond Jasper Drive, was closed until the afternoon hours of Saturday, July 20 as investigators processed the scene.

Evidence collected by officers determined the driver was travelling at a rate of speed between 140 km/h and 170 km/h at the time of the collision. A toxicology report confirmed the driver had blood- alcohol levels, and chemicals consistent with Cannabis and Cocaine, above the legal limits at the time of the incident.

As a result of the ongoing investigation police charged a 26-year-old Thunder Bay woman on Monday, Oct. 7 with Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired by Alcohol, Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired by Drugs, and Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired by a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol.

The accused will appear in court on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019.