MERRITT, B.C. — RCMP say the driver of an SUV that was in a terrible crash on the Coquihalla Highway last night had briefly fallen asleep.
The crash happened on northbound, near the Juliet Creek Road overpass between Hope and Merritt.
Cst. Mike Halskov says a family of five was returning to Alberta last night.
“The driver unfortunately fell asleep while he was overtaking a semi truck,” said Halskov. “They drifted off to the lefthand side of the road and caught the gravel which jarred him awake. When he came to, he overcorrected and veered back across the highway into the path of the semi truck.”
The SUV rolled several times before coming to rest on its roof in the ditch.
Halskov says the three children, ranging in ages from infancy to seven years old, were all buckled in properly and came away uninjured.
Likewise, the children’s father was unhurt, though their mother will have some recovery ahead of her.
“The mom, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, unfortunately suffered some significant lower body injuries and was airlifted to hospital where she remains. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening,” said Halskov.
Conditions were ideal for driving at the time, and Halskov says the driver’s alertness appears to be the major contributing factor.
“I would just like to remind the public, if they’re going to be embarking on a long trip, to make sure that they’re well rested before they take off to hopefully prevent situations like this from happening. Thankfully, it wasn’t worse than it turned out to be,” said Halskov.
