An 18-year-old Penticton woman was airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital on Thursday after a head-on collision south of Okanagan Falls.
Penticton RCMP spokesman Sgt. Rick Dellebuur said the woman was behind the wheel of a northbound 1999 Mazda Protege that crossed the centre line of Highway 97 and collided with an oncoming 2015 Kia Sorento near Weyerhaeuser Road just after 3 p.m.
The 18-year-old Mazda driver was removed from her vehicle by members of the Okanagan Falls Volunteer Fire Department using the Jaws of Life, but her injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening.
The occupants of the Kia, a 59-year-old woman and her 90-year-old father, both from Osoyoos, were taken to Penticton Regional Hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Dellebuur said road and weather conditions on what is a straight stretch of Highway 97 were good at the time, and alcohol and drugs aren’t believed to have been a factor in the crash.
“We’re still continuing the investigation to try to determine the exact cause of this accident,” he said.
Highway 97 was closed for several hours after the crash, but reopened later Thursday evening.