A Courtenay mom says she and her daughter are lucky to have escaped serious injury when a car careened off the road and into a boat parked on her property, sending it crashing into the toddler's room.
Courtney Houston said her two-year-old daughter was sleeping in her bed when she suddenly heard screeching tires outside of her Fitzgerald Avenue home at around 11:30 p.m.
"I got up and looked out my window to see a boat come crashing through my window," Houston told CTV News.
She said the car apparently hit a pole, sending it crashing into the boat on her lawn. The boat spun around 180 degrees and crashed through her child's window.
"I kind of dove over my child to make sure no glass got on to her, and as soon as all the crashing of glass stopped, I got out and came outside to find a car had come around the corner too fast," she said.
The driver remained on scene until RCMP arrived.
"They detained him for a little bit and let him go," said Houston.
She said it was reported that alcohol and speed may have been a factor in the crash. Comox Valley RCMP have not yet responded to CTV's requests for comment.
The mother said it was fortunate the boat was in her driveway because if it wasn't, the crash could’ve taken a much more tragic turn.
"It was less than three feet from her head," she said. "Times like this, I'm fortunate that the boat was there. If it wasn't there it would've been the car coming through and it might've had a different turn out."
Pictures from her daughter's room show pieces of drywall and other debris in the infant's bed.
While her child was frightened from the loud bang, she wasn't seriously injured, Houston said.
The boat did some damage to the home, taking out the window completely and damaging the frame, but Houston said home insurance should cover it.
"It is what it is. It's an unfortunate event. I hope if he was drinking and driving something big comes out of it and he learns his lesson," she said. "There are families all around here and no one needs to be put at risk."
