Motorist charged with impaired driving after rollover crash on Hwy. 17

A driver was charged with impaired near Sturgeon Falls on Saturday after hitting a dead moose and rolling her vehicle.

A 43-year-old woman from Nipissing First Nation is facing impaired driving charges following a crash on Highway 17 early Saturday morning.

Ontario Provincial Police responded to the incident involving a commercial motor vehicle and a moose at about 3:55 a.m. on Sept. 13.

A chain-reaction collision

Police said the woman struck the moose after the initial crash.

“While the CMV was pulled over on the shoulder of the highway, another motor vehicle struck the deceased animal, causing the motor vehicle to roll over,” OPP said in a news release Monday.

The driver of the passenger vehicle sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene by first responders.

Charges laid after further testing

Police said the investigation into the rollover led to suspicions of impaired driving and the driver was transported to the OPP detachment for further testing.

As a result, the driver was subsequently charged with two impaired driving offences – including having a blood alcohol concentration of more than 80.

In addition to the charges, under provincial law, the motorist was also issued a 90-day administrative driver’s licence suspension and the vehicle involved was impounded for seven days.

The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court in North Bay on Nov. 6 to answer the charges.