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Four-vehicle collision near Christina Lake stops traffic in construction zone

The driver that started the chain reaction was given with a $368 fine
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Airbags in three of the four vehicles involved in a chain-reaction collision Thursday morning between Grand Forks and Christina deployed after a driver failed to slow down in time before crashing into the back of a traffic line-up, waiting to proceed through a one-way traffic construction zone. (Photo from Christina Lake Fire/Rescue)

First responders are reminding summer drivers to be wary of speed, construction and sudden rains this summer after last week saw a handful of accidents between Greenwood and Paulson Summit.

Three vehicles were totalled and one sustained minor damage in a Thursday morning car crash approximately 11 kilometres east of Grand Forks on Highway 3. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. in a construction zone where road crews were working.

According the Grand Forks RCMP, the crashed occurred when a driver failed to slow down in a construction zone as they crested a hill, consequently slamming into a stopped car that was waiting in a line of traffic. A chain reaction of rear-end collisions then occurred. Three of the four vehicles involved had their airbags deploy, though no one involved sustained any major injuries.

The driver of the vehicle that caused the chain reaction was fined $368 for “driving without due care.”

Other accidents on Highway 3

July 3 saw two single-vehicle incidents slow down traffic on the Crowsnest between Greenwood and the Paulson Bridge.

Shortly after 2 p.m., a driver who was reaching for their coffee lost control of their vehicle and drove off the right side of the road, hit the ditch and rolled over, just west of the Wilgress Lake Rest Area. The driver did not sustain any injuries, though they were hit with a violation ticket for failing to keep right.

Grand Forks RCMP said that the incident serves as “a good reminder on why we need to pay attention at all times.”

Later in the afternoon, sudden rains in the Kootenay-Boundary led to slick road conditions. Consequently, a vehicle towing a boat hydroplaned and slid over the bank into a patch of trees near the Paulson Bridge. Christina Lake Fire/Rescue attended to the scene.

By the time firefighters had arrived, the driver had gotten themselves out of the vehicle and showed signs of some head injuries. The driver was then taken to hospital by ambulance.

RCMP catch speeders in construction zone

In just a half an hour on Canada Day, Grand Forks RCMP handed out three $253 fines to drivers who failed to obey construction signs near Paulson. The next day, the same officer ticketed four more drivers for the same offence over the course of 35 minutes.


@jensenedw
Jensen.edwards@grandforksgazette.ca

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