A 40-year-old man was charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm after a collision in St. Catharines early Friday morning.
At around 1:15 a.m., emergency responders were called to the intersection of Ontario Street and Meadowvale for a head-on collision.
The initial investigation determined that a 40-year-old Sherkston man, identified by Niagara Regional Police as Ocean Fairchild, was operating his 2003 Ford Escape northbound on Ontario Street. Police say the man was under the influence of alcohol and after crossing over the QEW overpass he failed to negotiate the bend in the road and his vehicle collided head-on with a southbound 2001 Buick Century. The Buick was being driven by a 54-year-old Niagara Falls woman and had a 64-year-old woman as a passenger.
Both drivers were pinned in their vehicles and had to be extricated by firefighters before being transported to hospital by ambulance.
Police say Fairchild suffered minor injuries and was released from hospital.
The other driver, however, was transferred to Hamilton Health Sciences for life-threatening injuries. Her passenger attended the local hospital and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Fairchild has been charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm.
Both vehicles sustained extensive damage and the scene was held by police for several hours, with the area being closed to traffic until Friday afternoon.
The collision remains under investigation by detectives collision reconstruction and the forensic services units.
Any witnesses with information are asked to contact investigators at 905-688-4111, ext. 5500.
Meanwhile, police were called to a second collision at around 8:45 a.m. Friday, this one on Lake Street a few blocks south of the QEW at Perry Street.
The collision involved two vehicles, and EMS was called to the scene.
Police cleared the road of the vehicles at around 9:38 a.m., with the city called in to clear the remaining debris.
That scene is now open after a little more than an hour.
Source: The Hamilton Spectator