INNISFAIL – An 18-year-old Innisfail man is facing charges plus thousands of dollars in fines and impound fees, all due to a broken tail light and refusing to stop for police.
RCMP say it all began on June 16 at about 3 a.m.
Innisfail RCMP were patrolling on C&E trail in Red Deer County when a vehicle with a burnt-out tail light was spotted.
An RCMP officer activated his emergency lights to signal the driver to pull over and stop.
“Rather than stop, the driver accelerated and immediately lost control of the vehicle and rolled into the ditch,” an RCMP news release says.
Police called for help from Innisfail firefighters and EMS (ambulance personnel) to extricate the driver from his vehicle and to provide medical assistance.
The driver was transported to the hospital and later released with minor injuries.
His driver’s licence has been suspended for 90 days and the vehicle has been impounded for 30 days.
“The Innisfail RCMP would like to remind citizens that if you choose to consume alcohol or other substances, to plan ahead and have a safe ride home," Staff Sgt. Ian Ihme, detachment commander Innisfail RCMP said in the news release.
"The individual involved in this incident is facing several thousands of dollars in fines and impound fees plus the inconvenience of losing his licence for 30 days.
“While the dollar value of this incident is high, it could have been much worse. Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death in Canada, with an average of four people killed each day.”
