A wooden boardwalk that’s part of Oxford Township’s safety path system is out of commission after a speeding car slammed into it on May 2, knocking a good portion of the structure off its foundation.

The boardwalk, which extends over wetlands located on the north side of W. Drahner Rd. between Pontiac Rd. and Pinecrest Apartments, was struck by 2014 Volvo driven by a 41-year-old Orion Township woman.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s report, the woman said she had gotten into a verbal altercation with her boyfriend, then drove off with him following her.

The woman reportedly told the deputy she “was driving as fast as her car could go in an attempt to get away from” him and “thought she might have gone over 100 mph” while traveling east on W. Drahner Rd.

She tried to “lose” her boyfriend by attempting to make a left turn onto Pontiac Rd. It was at this point that she lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway and collided with the boardwalk, the report stated. The car flipped and came to rest on the passenger side.

The force of the impact pushed the portion of the 8-foot-wide boardwalk near Pontiac Rd. off its foundation. It’s now so far over to the side that it’s no longer connected to the pavement. As a result, the entire boardwalk is currently closed to pedestrians.

Based on his initial observations, township engineer Jim Sharpe said it appears approximately 60 feet of the boardwalk will have to be replaced.

The driver was issued a citation for careless driving.