Lower Economy, N.S., woman charged with impaired driving following serious July collision

An RCMP vehicle is seen in an undated photo.

A 37-year-old woman from Lower Economy, N.S., is facing more than a dozen charges in relation to a serious collision that occurred in the community in July.

On July 24, first responders were called to the scene of a collision involving two vehicles on Highway 2 in Lower Economy. The two vehicles, a Hyundai Kona and a Buick Lesabre, were travelling in opposite directions when they collided.

A passenger in the Kona, a 55-year-old Montreal man, was airlifted to hospital by LifeFlight with life-threatening injuries.

The driver and another passenger, a 65-year-old man and a 59-year-old man from Bible Hill, suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital by paramedics.

The third passenger, a 55-year-old woman from Montreal, suffered minor injuries.

Two of the occupants in the Lesabre, a 37-year-old woman and a child, suffered serious injuries. A second child suffered minor injuries. All three were taken to hospital by paramedics.

Through the course of the investigation, officers collected blood and medical samples belonging to the driver of the Lesabre to determine if there was any presence of alcohol or drugs in her blood.

This month, investigators say they received the completed blood analysis that concluded the driver’s blood alcohol concentration exceeded the legal limit at the time of the collision.

On Wednesday, 37-year-old Lindsay Parker of Lower Economy was arrested and charged with:

• two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm
• six counts of impaired operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm
• six counts of impaired operation equal to, or over, 80mg% causing bodily harm
• six counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm

Parker was held in police custody until she appeared in Truro provincial court Thursday, where she was released on conditions.

Parker is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 30, 2023.

“Our investigators collected the evidence and facts from the scene, which resulted in impaired driving charges,” says S/Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon, Colchester County District RCMP Commander, in a news release Friday.

“We ask Nova Scotians to drive sober. For your own sake, for the sake of your family and friends, and for the sake of fellow travellers who share our roads, always have a plan in place to get home safe and sound. We want everyone to arrive alive.”