The Keremeos fire chief is applauding the RCMP for ticketing a driver who was caught using his cell phone to take a picture of a car crash Wednesday afternoon.
The crash happened at the corner of Coulthard Avenue and Highway 3, near Cawston, around 2:20 p.m.
RCMP say the crash was caused when one of the drivers failed to yield for oncoming traffic when entering the highway. The driver was ticketed.
One of the drivers was extricated and both were transferred to hospital by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.
As firefighters worked to extricate one of the injured, a person driving through stretched his arm out the driver鈥檚 side window to take a photo of the crash.
Cpl. Brian Evans of the Keremeos RCMP detachment took quick action signalling for the man to pull over. The 48-year-old man was issued a $368 ticket for using an electronic device while operating a motorized vehicle.
鈥淚 am happy that there was some action taken on that,鈥� said Jordy Bosscha, chief of the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department. 鈥淚n this particular incident we didn鈥檛 have enough people to have anyone designated to traffic control. We tried to park our trucks to secure the scene but we can only do so much. We have members working to get people out of vehicles and to help people on scene, and it鈥檚 scary thinking that there are people taking pictures of this while they are driving. They鈥檙e putting us in danger and it鈥檚 already dangerous what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Earlier this summer, Bosscha blasted those that whip out cell phones to take pictures of car crashes and fires, after a fatal accident happened on Highway 3 near the iconic Red Bridge. In that case a man was on the hood of a vehicle taking video of firefighters extricating a driver of a truck who later died in hospital.
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鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what it is that fascinates people about these kinds of things but, these people all have families and friends and they don鈥檛 need to see video and pictures of them in pain and we (emergency personnel) don鈥檛 need this while we鈥檙e working on them to save them,鈥� he said after that incident.
Cpl. Evans said this was the first time he鈥檇 ticketed someone for that kind of blatant use of an electronic device, but that he鈥檇 issued many tickets for that offense over his career.
鈥淯sually people are more discreet,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 ever had someone drive by me with his arms out the window taking a picture when he should be focused on driving.鈥�
Evans said the driver was shocked to learn he was receiving a ticket.
鈥淗is impression was that he was not using his cell phone. He was taking a photo. The legislation prohibits all electronic devices, which includes cameras, which in this case was a cell phone,鈥� Evans said.
The man received a $368 ticket and four points for taking the photo. Evans said the cost, 鈥減aled in comparison鈥� to the real consequences of someone possibly getting injured or killed because of his careless actions.
鈥淭he law is very clear on this. There is no wiggle room. You aren鈥檛 even supposed to handle your phone to plug it in to a charger while the vehicle is moving. The legislation is very well-written and been defended many times in court. There is no justification for people to be using electronic devices while driving.鈥�
