Driver high on hallucinogens during car accident, police say, Jesse Snyder

Driver high on hallucinogens during car accident, police say
By Jesse Snyder

The 63-year-old man who rolled his truck in the ditch south of Whitecourt was high on hallucinogens during the accident, a police report said Tuesday.

Philip Boshman, an oilfield worker residing in Whitecourt, was high on both hallucinogens and marijuana when his vehicle rolled in the ditch while heading north on Highway 22, about nine kilometres outside his home town.

The passenger of the vehicle, Matt Frankenstein, said Boshman was preoccupied with a number of different things when the accident occurred.

“He was trying to change the CD, but (the CD case) was in the backseat,” said Frankenstein. “He didn’t want to put down the bong.”

Whitecourt police officer Cpl. Dungeon said tests confirmed Boshman was taking drugs in high doses, enough to sedate large wildlife like deer and cougars.

“(The tests) showed an impressive amount of drugs him,” said Dungeon. “ I’ve seen full grown bucks and mountain goats go down from less (drugs) than that.”

The two were heading back to Whitecourt after a long three weeks on site near Leduc, and they really wanted to let loose and party, he said.

“They really wanted to have a good time, unfortunately they did it in an unsafe environment,” said Dungeon. “Hopefully they learned a lesson.”

This is the 22nd accident in the Whitecourt area this year.

Whitecourt: its history and current difficulties

Whitecourt is a small community in northern Alberta consisting of about 10 000 people. Situated 178 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, it is considerably farther north than much of Canada’s population. It prides itself on the local facilities and parks available for leisure activity, and town council strives to make living in Whitecourt convenient for all its residents. Whitecourt is on two rivers, both the Athabasca and McLeod, and locals take advantage of each with tubing and jetboat racing.

Regardless of these efforts to make Whitecourt a fun and safe place to live, Town Council can’t seem to stifle Whitecourt’s drug problem. In the last decade, drug-induced deviants have been increasingly attracted to Whitecourt. They see economic prosperity in dealing drugs as well as a great party atmosphere, mostly attributed to the outrageous clubbing scene on Main Street.

For the past few years, local residents have been voicing their distaste for the disturbance caused by all-night drinking. Town Council has been trying to stifle the flow of drugs in the downtown area, but it is all for naught. Every year crime rates rise, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. Whitecourt is at a crossroads, and it must clean up Main Street if this volatile situation is to be reversed. Without proper leadership and planning, Whitecourts raucous it will soon become a poisonous and rotten community.

Note: Image one from Vernon Croy Sports website. Image 2 from Melton Jetboat Racing website.