VICTORIA -- A novice driver is facing five traffic infractions after they crashed their vehicle into a tree in Oak Bay early Thursday morning.
According to the Oak Bay Police Department (OBPD), an officer spotted the vehicle, an orange Ford Mustang, travelling at roughly 73 km/h in a 40 km/h zone along Beach Drive.
Police say the officer was in the area performing “stationary speed enforcement” at the stretch of road because it is considered a high-risk driving area.
Once the officer spotted the vehicle, he turned on his lights and made his way onto Beach Drive. Roughly 350 metres away, the Mustang crashed into a tree.
Bernie MacDonald had just climbed into bed when he heard a sudden noise.
“I got under the covers and there was a very loud thump,” he told CTV News.
That’s when he stepped outside and saw the car smashed into his neighbour’s tree.
“It was badly crumpled and the police were already trying to get the occupants out of the car.”
The 20-year-old novice driver did not suffer injuries in the crash. However, one of her three passengers was injured and was later transported to hospital by ambulance for a possible vertebrae injury.
Police say that the driver had a blood alcohol content of .04, which is not allowed for ‘N’ drivers. However, her blood alcohol content was below impaired levels of .08 or over.
The vehicle – which was decorated with stickers that read “speed hunter,” “street racing is not a crime, well it is, but f**k it,” and “yes officer I did see the speed limit sign (I just didn’t see you)” – received front end damage.
The driver is now facing five traffic violation tickets, including driving without due care, speeding in a municipality and three counts of driving contrary to restrictions.
“The stickers on this car are an indication of how immature and unaware some drivers are,” said Ray Bernoties, OBPD deputy chief, in a release.
“This driver endangered the lives of her passengers and others and ultimately injured one of her passengers. We sincerely hope nobody has to die for these people to understand how serious this is,” he said.
Police say that the Independent Investigations Office and Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner have been notified of the incident as a police officer was present before the crash.
OBPD notes that it will be up to both agencies to decide if they would like to review the incident, and that a review does not indicate any wrongdoing.