Crash snaps utility pole

A 47-year-old Osoyoos man is facing another impaired driving charge following a collision Wednesday evening that severed a power pole on Highway 97 near the Osoyoos Baptist Church.

The collision occurred just after 5 p.m. on the highway just north of 62 Street, said Osoyoos RCMP.

“A witness on scene reported seeing the vehicle . . . travelling southbound at a high rate of speed, lose control and go off road into a utility pole,” said Sgt. Jason Bayda.

The utility pole was severed at its base and leaned over the vehicle yet remained suspended above, only held by the utility lines.

RCMP, with the assistance of the Osoyoos Fire Department, closed the highway to traffic in both directions. The highway was reopened around 8 p.m. after the pole was secured.

Bayda said the vehicle was equipped with an impaired driving interlock device. However, the driver, believed to be the sole occupant, “displayed significant impaired symptoms and was taken to hospital for assessment before being released to the RCMP.”

He later provided breath samples showing a blood-alcohol concentration 2.5 times over the legal limit.

Bayda said the interlock devices are not foolproof. It’s possible, he said, that someone else could have blown into the device to fool it.