An incident involving a snowmobile rider going the wrong direction on a one-way street in B.C’s Southern Interior, and colliding with a parked vehicle, is being investigated by the province’s police watchdog service.
The B.C. RCMP say they notified the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia of the incident, which saw the snowmobile rider suffer serious, but not life-threatening injuries from the collision.
According to the police, on Dec. 13, shortly after 12 a.m., an officer on patrol spotted a man operating a snowmobile on Victoria Road. The man didn’t have a helmet on.
“The man reportedly sped away, turning onto a one-way street,” said police. “The officer followed and found the snowmobile, which appeared to have collided with a parked commercial vehicle.”
RCMP say the man was located a short distance away, suffering from injuries. Emergency crews were called, and the man was transported to hospital.
“The IIO B.C. has been notified and will be investigating the incident and the actions of the police officer,” said RCMP.
Meanwhile, the IIO confirmed that it’s looking into the incident, noting that the snowmobile rider was travelling eastbound on Highway 1 near Victoria Road.
“It is reported that the officer completed a U-turn to follow the snowmobile, but the man on the snowmobile rode away and turned onto Woodenhead Loop,” said the IIO, “travelling the wrong direction on a one-way street before being involved in a collision.”
The IIO said the man walked a short distance from the scene before being found by police.
The IIO says it has commenced an investigation to determine what role, if any, police actions or inactions played in the man’s injuries.
It’s also asking anyone with relevant information to contact their witness Line at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the IIO website.