PRINCE ALBERT — A 25-year-old woman is facing impaired driving and other charges after an SUV left Highway 2 and entered a slough north of Prince Albert.
Prince Albert RCMP said officers received a report of the collision at approximately 9:45 p.m. on Oct. 4.
According to RCMP, all of the occupants who were in the SUV at the time of the collision were able to get out of the vehicle. They were assessed by EMS at the scene for injuries described by police as non-life-threatening.
Buckland Fire and Rescue said that when its crews arrived, RCMP and Parkland Ambulance were already at the scene and only the roof of the SUV was visible above the water.
Although occupants had made it out of the vehicle, Buckland Fire said crews received conflicting information about whether additional people could still be inside.
The Prince Albert Fire Department was called to provide mutual aid, with its water rescue team entering the water and searching the SUV. The team confirmed the vehicle was empty, according to Buckland Fire.
Prince Albert firefighters also secured the vehicle so it could be pulled from the water and returned to the roadway by a towing company.
Buckland Fire said eight firefighters responded with Rescue 51S and Engine 51S.
RCMP said a 25-year-old woman was arrested at the scene.
She has been charged with impaired operation causing bodily harm, operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration exceeding 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood and operating a motor vehicle while prohibited.
The woman is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Dec. 2.
RCMP said it does not have readily available statistics on how many vehicles entered sloughs last year because compiling that information would require a manual review of collision and other traffic-related files.
Buckland Fire said crews remained at the scene until transportation arrived for some of the occupants. The response was listed as the department's 94th incident of the year.
The charges have not been proven in court.
