Police have arrested and charged a Thunder Bay man following two significant collisions Wednesday afternoon involving multiple vehicles.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers fist responded to reports of a collision involving multiple vehicles near the intersection of Junot Avenue and Red River Road just after 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Police, firefighters and paramedics were all dispatched to the scene. When police arrived officers learned one vehicle involved, a black sedan, had left the scene heading westbound on Red River Road.
Moments later the same vehicle was involved in a collision near the intersection of Dawson Road and Strand Avenue. A male driver exited the black sedan and began walking away from the scene.
Witnesses provided a description of the male to officers, and officers located the suspect a short distance away. The male was arrested without incident.
Officers observed signs the male was impaired.
The male was transported to the Thunder Bay Police Service headquarters for further evaluation, which confirmed he was impaired by alcohol at the time of the collision.
Through the course of their investigation, officers learned the male was driving the black sedan westbound on Red River Road when he struck five other vehicles that were stopped at a red light. Two of the vehicles the male collided with were seriously damaged.
The male drove over a snow bank and proceeded westbound through the intersection toward Dawson Road, where the second collision took place.
Paramedics provided medical attention to three people involved in the collision near Junot Avenue. Two were transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for further treatment.
A 31-year-old Thunder Bay man has been charged with:
• Operation While Impaired Alcohol and Drugs
• Operation While Impaired Blood Alcohol Concentration
• Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle
• Failure to Stop After Accident x 2
He was released on an undertaking with conditions and a future court date.