Police in Trail are investigating the origins of a piece of foam that was the catalyst in a single vehicle collision on Highway 22 on Monday afternoon.
A Chevrolet Impala carrying four people was travelling south on Highway 22 near Birchbank Park around 3 p.m. when officials say a piece of foam flew into the windshield, causing the driver to veer the vehicle into the oncoming lane before rolling off the shoulder and down a 40-foot embankment, coming to rest with the car's undercarriage against a tree.
Constable Kevin Johnson from the Trail RCMP detachment says all four occupants of the vehicle weren't banged up too badly, but police are still looking into the cause of the crash.
“We are looking into it and there are a couple of eyewitnesses,” he said. “I am waiting to hear (about the foam) in the next couple of days.”
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue, along with BC Ambulance Service (BCSA) crews were called to the scene to assess injuries and assist the occupants from the Impala with a rope and pulley system.
“BCSA crews arrived and determined that two occupants were uninjured and able to walk up the bank with our assistance.” said Regional Fire Chief Terry Martin, adding that only two of the four occupants required assistance getting back up to a waiting ambulance. “The remaining two occupants were experiencing back pain and were strapped onto backboards and loaded into basket stretchers. We then used a rope system to haul the basket stretchers up the bank and both patients were transported to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital.”
Constable Johnson says all of the occupants of the vehicle left the scene without serious injuries, short a few bumps and bruises.
“They are all fine,” he said. “They are just banged up a bit, but they are all good.”
Traffic was slowed in both directions between Genelle and Trail for a couple of hours while crews rescued the occupants and recovered the vehicle.