FORT SMITH, Ark. — A local church is picking up the pieces of its prayer grotto after it was destroyed by a driver who allegedly crashed into it last week.
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St. Boniface Catholic Church in Fort Smith posted photos to their Facebook page saying the grotto protected the school from being damaged.
"As parishioners at St. Boniface, we have admired and prayed at the grotto in front of the school. We have asked the Blessed Mother to watch over our parish and us personally. Today Our Beautiful Lady protected the school from harm," the post read.
The statue of Mary had minimal damage.
The grotto was built in the early 1950's according to its website.
The church said there is an active investigation going on for this incident.
According to the crash report given to 5NEWS by Fort Smith police, two vehicles collided at the nearby intersection of N. 19th and N. B Street. A driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash told police that a blue SUV struck his car at a "high rate of speed" and continued through the intersection and "collided with a Mother Mary Shrine."
FSPD said after locating the vehicle, an officer spoke with nearby witnesses who said that a female and a male got out of the car and fled on foot. Those suspects weren't able to be located, police said.
"I checked the area for cameras, but were unable to locate any that would have captured the collision," a responding officer said in the crash report.
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