Bystander rescues driver from car in Okanagan Lake

UPDATE:  The man who was pulled from Okanagan Lake is in hospital in serious condition following a single vehicle crash Thursday night in Peachland.

RCMP say they received a report of a single vehicle collision on Highway 97 South near Renfrew Road in Peachland.

Witnesses told police a red Honda CRV was travelling northbound when it appeared to turn into a pull out.

The driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into Okanagan Lake.

Several motorists stopped to help the driver, a 62-year-old Kelowna man.

He was ejected from the car into the cold water of Okanagan Lake.

The driver regained consciousness at the scene and was taken to hospital in stable, but serious condition.

The vehicle was secured in the water by emergency crews to prevent it from drifting away or slipping below the surface.  

It was eventually removed from the water and towed away.

RCMP are still investigating the crash, and ask any witnesses who have not already spoken to them to call the Kelowna RCMP detachment at 250-768-2880.

PEACHLAND, B.C. – A bystander dove into Okanagan Lake Thursday evening to rescue a driver whose car plunged into Okanagan lake.

The accident happened along a two-lane stretch of Highway 97 in Peachland around 7:30 p.m.

Officials have yet to release details, but the driver was pulled from the lake in critical condition according to reports from the scene.

Paramedics also checked over the person who rescued the driver.

An accident two hours earlier about 2 km south on Highway 97 saw bystanders also pull at least one vehicle occupant to safety.

In that accident, the car had smashed into the rockface on the west side of the highway near Brent Road.

No further details on the condition of that victim have been made available.