A rollover at the base of Connaught Hill happened Tuesday morning and police believe a pet inside the vehicle may be responsible.
According to RCMP, the dog was not properly secured inside the cab of the vehicle and it is suspected that the pet distracted the driver, with dangerous consequences. The vehicle left the roadway, struck a light pole, deflected back into the lane of traffic and flipped onto its roof.
A three-year-old child was inside the vehicle and properly restrained. The driver was the child's mother, 24. Both were taken to university hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The dog fled the crash scene and had not been located as of deadline.
The car and the lamp post sustained significant damage.
Unsecured animals in vehicles can be a violation of Section 72 of the Motor Vehicle Act. In addition to being a potential distraction to the driver, they are at risk of being thrown about the cab in the event of a crash or sudden vehicle movement (potentially fatal to pet and human alike), and they are also at risk of becoming missiles if thrown from the vehicle in such events.
"There have been lots of injuries to humans and to animals because of unrestrained pets in vehicles," Prince George RCMP Sgt. Guy Tremblay told The Citizen during a past crackdown on unrestrained pets. "We want to protect other motorists from these animals coming out of these vehicles, we want the pets to be safe, we don't want to see the driver or any passengers injured either."
The crash of the vehicle on Tuesday happened at about 8:10 a.m. in the vicinity of the Connaught Hill Park entrance not far from Queensway.
