THUNDER BAY – NEWS – If you drink don’t drive. That very simple message has been repeated so many times one might think it should resonate.
Apparently not.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers were dispatched to Vance Chapman Elementary School just after 9 am EDT on Wednesday, April 24 following reports of a suspected impaired driver who just nearly struck a crossing guard and group of children.
The responding officer found the suspected driver parked near the school with a flat tire.
Police learned the accused was travelling westbound on Huron Avenue in a Jeep, between Otto and Shuniah Streets, when he nearly collided with a vehicle travelling eastbound. The other driver was forced onto the Boulevard to avoid the collision.
The accused continued travelling westbound on Huron Avenue, passing in front of Vance Chapman Elementary school where a vehicle was stopped for a crossing guard bringing children across the roadway.
The accused driver entered the bicycle lane to pass the stopped vehicle on its right-hand side, nearly striking the crossing guard and children.
The driver came to a stop at the corner of Huron and Hudson Avenues as his Jeep was leaking fluids and his front passenger-side tire and rim were heavily damaged.
The driver was outside of his vehicle surveying the damage when the officer located him. Through the course of the investigation, the officer learned the driver was intoxicated. Further investigation revealed the impaired driver’s blood alcohol concentration was nearly double the legal limit.
A 43-year-old Thunder Bay man is charged with Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Operation While Impaired, and Operation With Impaired Blood Alcohol Concentration.
The accused was released on a promise to appear with a future court date of June 4, 2019.
