Hit-and-run accident had silver lining

SANDPOINT — A local ministry is reminding folks that blessings can come in peculiar ways, even through hit-and-run collisions.

A speedboat on a trailer parked in the 500 block of Boyer Avenue was struck by a passing motorist on Sunday morning, causing significant damage to the vessel and the trailer.

A local benefactor donated the boat to Missfitt Ministries, which helps young adults escape drugs and life on the streets in the Inland Northwest. The ministry hoped to sell the 20-foot Capri so it could purchase a wood splitter, said the group’s secretary of records, Kimberly Petty.

The ministry sells firewood to help sustain its cause.

The damage, which included a hole in the hull, was a potential deal-breaker, but Petty said quite the opposite ended up happening.

“We sold it the same day,” she said.

Petty said a passerby, a traveling aircraft mechanic in the market for that exact kind of boat, saw the damaged vessel and doubled back to make an offer to buy it.

In the end, the mechanic got a boat he seemed happy to restore and the ministry got the funds to purchase the splitter, Petty said. The driver in the hit- and-run might also catch a break.

Sandpoint Police investigated the collision and evidence left at the scene appears to identify the make and model of the vehicle involved. But Petty said they don’t wish trouble for the driver, although they wouldn’t mind having a word with the person.

“Even in bad times, things can work out really good,” said Petty. “It’s a story to give people hope.”

For more information about Missfitt Ministries, call Director Michael Pinson at (208) 290-3224 or Petty at (208) 304-4195.