‘Impaired’ BC Driver Swaps Places with Passenger Post-Crash, Results in Second Collision: RCMP

The RCMP logo is seen outside the force's 'E' division headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on March 16, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Two women crashed the same SUV into the same parked vehicle in a Prince George, B.C., parking lot last week, leading officers to arrest both drivers for intoxication, police say.

Prince George RCMP responded to a report of an impaired driver at 12 p.m. on Oct. 29 after witnesses said an SUV had struck a vehicle in a parking lot on the 1600-block of Central Street East, Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said in a press release.

When officers arrived on scene, they found two women in a small, black SUV stuck to the bumper of a pickup truck.

“Witnesses stated that after the first collision, the driver and passenger switched spots in the vehicle,” Cooper said. “When the now-driver attempted to leave the parking lot, she ended up striking the same parked car as the original driver as well as a witness who was near the parked vehicle.”

The witness was not hurt, Cooper added.

Both suspects were arrested and transported to the Prince George RCMP Detachment to provide breath samples as part of the investigation.

Police said both women registered over the legal limit. They were charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and were served with 24-hour driving prohibitions, as well as administrative 90-day driving prohibitions.

Both women are scheduled to appear in court at a future date.

In a separate incident, RCMP in Nanaimo are investigating a fatal hit-and-run that claimed the life of a 21-year-old father and member of Snuneymuxw First Nation on Oct. 24.

Charles Tommy was killed at approximately 7 p.m. when he was struck on Harmac Road by an unidentified vehicle that did not remain at the scene, Nanaimo RCMP said in a press release.

“Witnesses reported seeing Tommy both standing on the shoulder and lying in the roadway before he was struck or run over,” police said. “The driver of the vehicle involved may not be aware that they struck a person.”

Officers have taken numerous statements and collected both dash cam footage and video surveillance from the area and are now actively reviewing the video in an attempt to identify the vehicle involved, police said.

Tommy was the father of a 7-month-old son. His family has said he was nicknamed Chuckles because of his sense of humour. He was also an avid fisherman who would regularly share his catch with the community’s elders, according to a family statement provided by the RCMP.

“His parents are devastated at the loss of their eldest child and only son,” police said.

Nanaimo RCMP is asking the driver of the vehicle involved to come forward to “help provide closure to the family.”