A suspected drunk driver is facing charges after smashing into a marked police car and sending two officers to hospital in northern B.C. on Friday, according to Terrace RCMP.
Mounties say the officers were sitting in a parked cruiser off the travel portion of Highway 6, near Ferry Island, when a white van lost control and rear-ended the police car.
Seconds before the crash, the van was clocked speeding at more than 120 km/h in a 50-kilometre zone. Police say the driver applied the brakes when his vehicle approached, but it slid sideways and hit the cruiser.
"This could have been tragic," RCMP Insp. Dana Hart said in a press release. "Especially at this time of the year. Both (officers) have families. Just like all of our members, they are out there risking their lives to keep others safe."
An ambulance transported the two officers and the van's driver to hospital where they were treated and later released. Damage to both vehicles is extensive.
David Schiffer, a 35-year-old man from the Czech Republic, has been charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving. He has been working in Terrace, B.C.
"This is exactly why our members are out in full force during the holiday season," Sgt. Pam Scott of North District West Traffic Services said. "Some people just don't seem to get the message: drunk driving injures and kills."
