Nova Scotia’s police watchdog has cleared a Cape Breton Regional Police officer in connection with a collision that resulted in a man’s fingers being amputated.
The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) says the officer spotted a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed, and almost lose control, on King Street in North Sydney, N.S. around 11:15 p.m. on Feb. 28.
SIRT says the officer lost sight of the vehicle and he drove along King Street, and then onto Johnston Road, in search of the vehicle. They say the officer was driving 50 km/h.
According to SIRT, the officer found the vehicle overturned not far away on Johnson Road. They say the driver suffered serious injuries to his hand, which resulted in having three fingers amputated.
“The facts showed there was no pursuit of the car, and that the officer proceeded in a prudent fashion in his search for the vehicle,” SIRT said in a statement. “The accident appears to have been caused by the fact the driver of the car was impaired by alcohol, and that its speed was 130 km/h just prior to the crash.”
SIRT says the driver has since pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and flight from a police officer, resulting in there being no grounds to charge the police officer.
