Nanaimo RCMP believe alcohol was a factor in a rollover crash early Friday morning that sent five young people to hospital.
Police said a 90-day roadside prohibition for alcohol impairment was issued to the novice driver, a 17-year-old Nanaimo male, who was at the wheel of a pickup truck when it lost control on a curve and went into a ditch at 2: 30 a.m.
Novice drivers are not allowed to have any alcohol in their systems.
Two of the four passengers were riding in the bed of the pickup. They were thrown from the vehicle and it rolled over top of them, police said. The driver and passengers were treated in hospital for injuries that included a dislocated shoulder, a broken wrist and lacerations.
"They were very lucky," said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Sherri Wade. "It could have been much, much worse."
