Car Totals Another In Front Yard

Two Bonners Ferry couples were playing cards Saturday night when a speeding Pontiac careened through the front yard and totaled one couple’s car.

The two people in the Pontiac were hospitalized in stable condition Sunday.

“We heard a loud crash. At first I thought it was a tire blowing out,” said Tom Merrifield.

The driver, 24-year-old Anthony Villelli, was speeding southbound on U.S. 95 about one mile south of Bonners Ferry shortly after 10 p.m., according to the Idaho State Police.

The black 1994 Grand Am went off a curve, through Merrifield’s front yard, and rammed a 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix belonging to Stephanie and Dean Kerr.

The impact shoved the parked car about 40 yards, Merrifield said. Both cars were wrecked beyond repair.

Villelli’s passenger, 16-year-old Jennifer Whittaker, suffered a broken arm. She and Villelli were taken to Boundary Community Hospital in Bonners Ferry; Whittaker was later transferred to Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene.

The state police said neither Villelli nor Whittaker wore a seat belt. The accident, ISP said, was alcohol-related.

, DataTimes