A 48-year-old man from Wainfleet, Ont. has been charged with impaired driving and driving while under suspension after crashing the vehicle he was driving into a residence.
The collision happened on Monday in the Town of Pelham, near Welland Road and Haist Street.
Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) said emergency personnel arrived at the scene shortly before 1:30 a.m.
According to police, the driver of a grey 2006 Ford F150 pickup truck struck a house.
The motorist was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the collision, they said.
Police said that the home's six occupants were all assessed by paramedics, but no one was found to be injured.
Investigators said officers at the scene located the driver trying to flee on foot through the hole he’d created in the house by crashing the truck.
Niagara Regional police said that officers who spoke with the motorist “formed grounds to believe that he was impaired by alcohol.” Police also said that empty liquor bottles were found inside his vehicle.
The driver was arrested and subsequently transported to a local hospital for treatment of what are believed to be minor injuries.
Timothy John Climenhaga, 48, of Wainfleet, is facing two counts of impaired operation of a conveyance and one count of drive while under suspension.
After being medically cleared, he was taken to NRPS Prisoner Management Unit in Niagara Falls and held in custody for a Nov. 20 video bail hearing.
Climenhaga has also been issued an Administrative Driver's Licence Suspension, which is issued to anyone charged with similar driving offences. This order prohibits a driver from operating a motor vehicle for 90 days from the date it was given.
Police said that the damage to the home is believed to be “major,” although an estimate is not yet available.
Out of an abundance of safety, the truck was not immediately removed from the home until its structural integrity was assessed by engineers. The dwelling has since been deemed unsafe, NRPS said.
Police said that the Ford, which sustained “moderate” damage, has been seized as part of the investigation.
Anyone with further information about this incident is asked to NRPS or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
