A suspected impaired driver believed to have fled the scene of a collision was located by police Wednesday afternoon sleeping in her vehicle.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers with the Uniform Patrol Branch were originally dispatched to the 500 block of Brock Street East following reports of a suspected impaired driver at about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Prior to arriving, police learned the motorist had been driving on the wrong side of the road.
When they arrived officers found the driver unconscious inside her vehicle. Police found the vehicle was still in drive, but the unconscious driver’s foot was still applied to the brake.
The woman remained sleeping even as officers attempted to wake her by knocking on the doors and window of the car. Police eventually gained access to the vehicle, put it in park, and removed the female.
As the woman awoke officers noticed multiple signs of impairment.
Due to her level of suspected impairment, she was transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for medical assessment.
Further investigation revealed the same driver was also involved in an earlier motor vehicle collision in the area of Frederica and Brown Streets. The accused fled the scene of the collision before police arrived.
A 34-year-old Thunder Bay woman is charged with Impaired Driving and Failure to Stop After Accident.
She has been released with a future court date.