Marena Wigmore said there was no way she could have avoided a collision with an allegedly impaired driver when she was driving home March 19.
Haliburton Highlands OPP said it responded to a scene on Kennisis Lake Road around 3:12 p.m. Both involved drivers sustained minor injuries. Police officers arrested and charged a Huntsville man with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and refusing to comply with a demand.
Wigmore said the other vehicle drove head-on into her, in the wrong lane.
“I’m pretty angry. There was nothing I could have done.” Wigmore said. “There was no reason for it to have happened. It was completely avoidable. Now, I have to deal with injuries that I have and losing time off work.
“He’s really lucky he didn’t kill me,” she added.
The accused is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Minden May 5. Wigmore said the collision destroyed both vehicles.
She said the emergency response was fantastic.
“They got there pretty quickly,” Wigmore said. “Which was great for me, because that was probably the scariest part for me, was waiting.”
Wigmore said impaired driving is a problem in the area. She added she is glad the incident did not turn out worse.
“Any number of my co-workers come down that road. One of them is pregnant, several of them have small kids. What if it had been one of them?” Wigmore asked.
“Impaired driving remains the leading cause of criminal death in Canada,” Haliburton Highlands OPP said in a press release. “If you plan on drinking or consuming drugs, plan to not drive.”
OPP also responded to a complaint on Eastern Avenue in Haliburton March 27. Police said a woman drove onto a lawn and collided with a tree. They charged a Maynooth woman with impaired driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and operation while impaired with a blood-alcohol concentration of 80-plus. She is also due in Minden court May 5.
OPP asked for people to continue calling 911 to report impaired driving. Police said signs include quick acceleration, erratic braking, turning abruptly or illegally and drifting between traffic lanes.
Wigmore said she intends to pursue a civil lawsuit against the driver who struck her. She added she hopes the courts might prevent him from driving for good.
“This man should never drive again.”
Police busy with collisions
Haliburton Highlands OPP reported responding to two other vehicular incidents over the weekend.
Police said they charged a 42-year[1]old with careless driving March 26 after responding to a single-vehicle collision into a hydro pole on Twelve Mile Lake Road. The pole was heavily damaged and required replacement. Later that day, officers responded to another collision where a pickup truck struck a deer. The driver did not report injuries, but the truck sustained more than $2,000 in damages
