The driver and three passengers were injured Sunday afternoon when the 1994 GMC Jimmy in which they were travelling went off the road and into a ditch on Highland Road in View Royal.
The crash happened at about 1:15 p.m. near the residential section of Highland Road, as the vehicle headed south from Thetis Lake Park. There were no signs of intoxication in the driver, said West Shore RCMP Cpl. Kathy Rochlitz.
"It appears that a black Labrador (dog) in the vehicle distracted the driver," she said.
One of the passengers had to be mechanically extracted from the vehicle by View Royal firefighters who responded to the emergency call.
The dog was taken to a veterinarian by Capital Regional District officials, since its owner, the driver, was transported to hospital.
As of Tuesday, RCMP had no information about the condition of the vehicle's occupants.
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