Man allegedly flees from police then crashes down embankment in one of three weekend crashes in Mt Barker

A 35-year-old man man allegedly fled from police in Mt Barker then rolled his car down an embankment after he had been disqualified from driving for blowing over the alcohol limit in Albany earlier that day. The incident was one of three crashes which left people injured in Mt Barker at the weekend, including a crash which put three teenagers in hospital. Police said that about 11pm on Friday, officers tried to stop a Ford Falcon sedan seen speeding in the Mt Barker townsite, after recognising that the registered car owner had been charged with drink-driving earlier in the day. The driver allegedly sped away and police did not engage in a chase. About 3.30am on Saturday, police were called to a disturbance at Plantagenet Hospital where they found a man with injuries. Mt Barker officer-in-charge Sgt David Johnson said the man was refused medical treatment due to his behaviour and taken to Albany Health Campus. Sgt Johnson said that after investigations, police determined the man was the 35-year-old driver of the Ford Falcon who had earlier failed to stop for officer. He had rolled his car several times down an embankment and came to rest in a paddock near the intersection of Langton Road and Muir Highway. Mt Barker police charged the 35-year-old man with failing to comply with a direction to stop and no authority to drive. He could face more charges, with police awaiting the results of blood analysis. Earlier that day, the same man allegedly returned a positive breath test after being stopped by Albany police. He was charged with excess 0.08 and issued an immediate disqualification notice. The man is due to face Albany Magistrates Court on November 30. In a separate crash near Mt Barker on Sunday afternoon, police said a teenager lost control of a vehicle on Halsey Road and hit a tree. Three teenagers were taken to hospital, one with possible fractures to ribs and vertebrae. Sgt Johnson said the driver was a 17-year-old with a provisional licence. Later on Sunday about 10pm, a Holden Commodore crashed into a light pole at the intersection of Lowood Road and Langton Road in Mt Barker. Two men were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene, Sgt Johnson said. Inquiries are continuing into those two crashes. “Speed was a factor in all three crashes which is disappointing,” Sgt Johnson said. “We need people to reassess their driving habits, especially on country roads. People need to take more care and attention and drive to the conditions. “These crashes were in about a 48-hour period and they certainly could have resulted in much more serious injuries.”