INUVIK - Drunk driving charges are pending against an Inuvik man who overturned his car while driving with a female passenger in the Boot Lake Park area Saturday evening.

Const. Richard Janzen of the Inuvik RCMP said police received an anonymous call about the crash and arrived on scene at about 7:15 p.m.

Police are investigating this car accident that occurred on Saturday evening at Boot Lake Park. It's believed alcohol played a role. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

Janzen said the man lost control of the Pontiac Sunbird and slammed into the large boulders that frame the road leading to the park, causing the vehicle to overturn on its side.

Janzen said when officers arrived the driver tried to escape on foot while the passenger was still pinned in the wreckage. The man was quickly apprehended and arrested.

At about 7:30 p.m. a team of firefighters stormed out of a volunteer appreciation event held at the Midnight Sun Complex to respond to the call. Firefighters were able to extract the woman from the car after removing its windshield. An ambulance took the woman to hospital for precautionary reasons. She was released shortly after.

Janzen said alcohol may have played a role in the crash.

"Currently there is an investigation going on and charges are pending for impaired operation," said Janzen. "He (the driver) was fooling around. They were driving and lost control of the vehicle."