Highway 69 crash caused by driver falling asleep, charges laid
Highway 69 crash caused by driver falling asleep, charges laid
A 24-year-old driver has been charged after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into guardrails on Highway 69 in the French River area, police say.
Officers were called to the single-vehicle collision just after 4 p.m. on Saturday, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Tuesday morning.
"Preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle was traveling south on the highway and the driver had fallen asleep, before striking the guard rails," police said.
"Both the driver and passenger were transported by Sudbury paramedic services to the local hospital with non-life threatening injuries."
The driver, from Britt, Ont., was given a breathalyzer, which detected alcohol.
As a result, the person has been charged with careless driving and being a novice driver with a blood alcohol concentration above zero.
"The OPP would like to remind motorists to recognize some of the signs of fatigue; yawing, eyes closing, losing focus, blinking more than usual, feeling drowsy, light-headed and having trouble keeping your head up. If you feel fatigued while driving pull over and take a rest. Only sleep can cure fatigue," police said.
A careless driving conviction comes with a fine between $2,000 and $50,000, a prison sentence up to two years and a license suspension of up to five years.
Having a blood-alcohol level above zero while driving on a highway as a young driver comes with a fine between $60 and $500 if convicted.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Child dies after being left in hot car while mother taught at Ontario high school, mayor says
An Ontario community is reeling after a 23-month-old boy died when he was accidentally left in a hot car outside the school where his mother taught, the mayor says.

G7 leaders discuss cap on price of Russian gas to squeeze war funds
Group of Seven leaders considered a possible cap on the price of Russian gas exports on Monday as a way to put the squeeze on the funding for Vladimir Putin's war with Ukraine.
Woman trampled, killed by horses at central Alberta rodeo: RCMP
A 30-year-old woman is dead after falling off a horse at the Ponoka Stampede on Sunday.
Russian missile strike hits crowded shopping mall in Ukraine
Russian long-range bombers fired a missile that struck a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine's central city of Kremenchuk on Monday, raising fears of what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an 'unimaginable' number of victims in 'one of the most disastrous terrorist attacks in European history.'
3 killed, dozens hurt in Amtrak train crash in Missouri
A passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck and derailed Monday in a remote, rural area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more, officials said.
'Deepest apologies': Central Alberta rodeo organizers shocked by parade float
Organizers of a central Alberta rodeo and its parade committee are calling for calm after a float in this weekend's parade, which possessed a racist theme, was seen in the procession.
Deadly and contagious rabbit virus detected in Ontario for first time
A highly contagious and deadly virus that affects rabbits and hares has been detected in Ontario for the first time.
New double crater seen on the moon after mystery rocket impact
The moon has a new double crater after a rocket body collided with its surface on March 4.
New Omicron subvariant expected to become dominant COVID-19 strain in Ontario
A new subvariant of Omicron is expected to become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Ontario, health officials say.