THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Police have charged a nineteen-year-old man with dangerous driving in connection with a collision on Oliver Road near Wappner Road that happened on September 7, 2019. Thunder Bay Police Service officers were dispatched to the scene of the two-vehicle collision around 1:30 pm last Saturday.
Through their investigation, police found out that the accused driver of a black sedan had been traveling westbound on Oliver Road a high rate of speed. The accused was also entering the eastbound lane of the two-lane roadway to pass multiple motorists before returning to the westbound lane.
The driver of the black sedan was quickly approaching the rear of a red Jeep, which was slowing for a turn.
TBPS in a media statement said, “The driver of the sedan slammed on his brakes in an attempt to avoid a collision, however, due to the rate of speed he realized he would be unable to stop in time. The driver of the sedan instead attempted to pass the Jeep on its left as he was returning to the westbound lane of traffic he struck the Jeep.”
The Jeep nearly rolled over coming to rest in a ditch. Meanwhile, the sedan did roll over, skidded and came to a stop back on its wheels according to investigators.
As police continued their investigation of the circumstances surrounding this collision, they were made aware of a social media video that appeared on Snapchat which was apparently posted by the driver of the black sedan.
TBPS says that “The Snapchat video appeared to show the driver recording himself as he passed multiple vehicles. The video also records a speedometer showing speeds between 180 km/h and 190 km/h.”
The video was geotagged in the area of Oliver Road near the scene of the collision.
As a result of the ongoing investigation a 19-year-old Thunder Bay man has been charged with Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle. He has been released on a promise to appear with a future court date and conditions to not drive a motor vehicle.
The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information that could assist investigators please call police at 684-1200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at www.p3tips.com.
