Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( May 31/00) - A man may be charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm after five people were injured in a single-vehicle accident Sunday morning.

At about 5 a.m. members of the Rae-Edzo RCMP detachment attended the accident on Highway 3, about four kilometres from the intersection of the Rae access road.

"Lots of people come back late at night, after hours," said Rae-Edzo RCMP Const. Sean Chiddentons. "Alcohol is not always a factor (when there's an accident), sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't."

All occupants, who were adults and Yellowknife residents, received undetermined injuries and were brought to the Rae Health Centre.

Charges are currently pending against the driver of the vehicle. He and another occupant were subsequently medevaced to Stanton Regional Hospital in Yellowknife.

The vehicle, which had been travelling from Yellowknife, appeared to be speeding and lost control on a gravelled portion of Highway 3. It appeared to have crossed the centre line and rolled several times before coming to rest on its roof in a ditch.

The Department of Transportation says the road on the way to Rae is rough and uneven with soft shoulders. Due to rough conditions and large rocks, drivers are warned to use caution while travelling on Highway 3.