Impaired driver crashes vehicle into light pole in Salmon Arm, given 90-day driving prohibition

SALMON ARM, B.C. — An 18-year-old Class 7 “N” driver was given a 90-day driving prohibition after a destructive crash in Salmon Arm. 

At around 12:40 a.m. on Aug. 19, Salmon Arm RCMP say an officer on the Trans-Canada Highway near Highway 97B noticed a red Volkswagen Jetta travelling westbound at 138 km/h. 

In a news release issued Monday (Sept. 21), RCMP say the Jetta was last seen cresting the hill towards 30th Street NE. Once the police vehicle crested the hill, RCMP say the Jetta was spotted crashed at a traffic light pole with fluids and smoke coming from the engine bay. 

Police say the teenage woman was breathing and conscious following the collision. She was helped out of the Jetta as officers feared it might catch fire. Salmon Arm Fire Department and BC Emergency Health Services also attended to assist.