Speeding driver bounces off medians on Kelowna bridge, crashes and survives

A driver headed over Kelowna’s William Bennett bridge was clocked nearly double the speed limit before losing control and coming to a potentially deadly stop.

Around 5 a.m. July 9, BC Highway Patrol in Kelowna was conducting speed enforcement on Highway 97 on the William Bennett Bridge in West Kelowna when a grey four-door hatchback was spotted travelling west at excessive speeds, more than 105 km/hour in the 60 km/hr zone.

Before the police could conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle lost control striking both the centre and right side medians causing the vehicle to roll onto its roof.

“Thankfully the sole occupant of the vehicle did not suffer any life-threatening injuries,” RCMP said in a press release. “The subsequent investigation found the driver was prohibited from driving under the Motor Vehicle Act.”

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BC Highway Patrol Kelowna are reminding motorists that speed limits reflect the safe speed a vehicle can travel in ideal conditions.

They said that exceeding speed limits reduces a driver’s time to react, it requires a longer distance to slow down or stop and makes collisions more deadly.

“Our BC Highway Patrol teams across the Okanagan will continue to co-ordinate regular speed enforcement across our highways to save lives and reduce injuries, Insp. Rob Nason, officer in charge of BCHP said.

“Speeding is the leading cause of vehicle collision fatalities in B.C. and I encourage everyone to obey the posted speed limits as deaths related to high-speed collisions are entirely preventable.”