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Injured man spends night on mountain

Road check leads to trafficking charges for Whistler woman
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On Sunday at 6:36 p.m. the Pemberton RCMP received a call from a group of hikers in the Joffre Lake area after one of the group was injured that afternoon.

The group had hiked in to the backcountry hut on Friday, and on Sunday split into two different groups. One climbed Mt. Matier and the other Mt. Joffre. The group that hiked Mt. Joffre arrived back at the hut, expecting the other pair to be back already. Concerned about their friends they went out to investigate with binoculars. Through the binoculars they saw the woman with the group on her own, signaling that there was an injury.

As there was no phone service, one of the group ran out and headed back to the highway to contact the authorities and Search and Rescue. By 7:30 p.m. a helicopter was in the air, but it was turned back by the weather. Instead, a member of the SAR team hiked up and spent the night with the injured man, who was wearing crampons but slipped on the descent and injured his wrist, back and head.

The next day, September 10, SAR responded with two helicopters, one to long-line the man to a safe area and the other to transfer him to the Whistler Health Care Centre. The male broke his wrist, but his other injuries were more minor.

On Sept 8 RCMP investigated an accident at the In-SHUCK-ch Forest Service Road and Highway 99. Officers suspected the driver of a pickup truck that struck a parked SUV of being impaired after she left the scene of the accident.

According to the reports, the Pemberton RCMP arrived after the ambulance and fire services to find a woman lying on the side of the road beside the pickup truck. The female passenger, who may have been ejected from the vehicle, was taken by ambulance to the Pemberton airport, then taken to Vancouver General Hospital with head and back injuries. The driver of the SUV was transported to the Pemberton clinic for treatment of minor injuries and later released.

The RCMP quickly realized the driver was missing, and because of the blood in the car they were concerned for her well being. They later received a call that the woman had arranged to be picked up by relatives and was being taken to the Pemberton Clinic for treatment, and met her there to issue her with a promise to appear in court at a later date.

The police investigation suggests that the driver of the pickup, a 40-year-old Mt. Currie woman, may have been under the influence of alcohol when she struck the parked car.

Meanwhile an RCMP traffic stop on Lorimer Road just after midnight on Sept. 10 turned into a drug investigation after the RCMP officer at the stop noticed a smell of marijuana. The driver admitted to smoking marijuana after being asked by the police officer, leading to a search of her car. The police found 200 grams of marijuana, 60 grams of magic mushrooms, 24 grams of marijuana butter, a quarter gram of hash, two MDMA (ecstasy) pills, a scale and some Canadian and U.S. cash in a backpack in the vehicle, with identification belonging to the driver.

The RCMP arrested a 22-year-old Whistler woman for possession for the purpose of trafficking, and released her on a promise to appear in court on Nov. 26.

The woman was only one of several impaired drivers nabbed by RCMP this past week.

A 41-year-old Whistler woman received a 90-day suspension and 30-day vehicle impound at 11 p.m. on Sept. 6 after failing the approved screening device. She was originally pulled over for failing to come to a complete stop in Spruce Grove.

At 11:33 p.m. the same night, a sobriety check on Highway 99 at Nicklaus North stopped a vehicle. There was a smell of fresh marijuana, and a search of the vehicle turned up 20 grams of marijuana and pipes. The driver, a 20-year-old Whistler male showing signs of impairment, received a 24 hour driving prohibition, had his car towed and received a ticket for driving without reasonable consideration.

On Sept. 7 at 6:15 p.m. the police received a call regarding an impaired driver from an off-duty officer. The off-duty officer stopped the male on Meadows Road in Pemberton until on-duty police could arrive and perform a sobriety test. A 63-year-old Pemberton male failed the test and received a 90-day suspension and 30-day vehicle impound.