Flathead Lake crash injures Rehberg, four others

The Daily Inter Lake

U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., suffered a broken ankle and four other people were injured in a severe boating accident Thursday night.

They were hurt when a 22-foot motorboat ran into rocks after 10 p.m. in Wayfarers State Park on the shore of Flathead Lake, according to Jim Satterfield, regional supervisor for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The boat appeared to have been driven at high speed directly into the rocks, judging from how far out of the water the wreckage was Friday.

Campers heard the crash, went to the scene and called 911, Satterfield said. The first 911 call came in at 10:24 p.m., with the Bigfork Fire Department responding to the scene.

Also hospitalized were state Sen. Greg Barkus, R-Kalispell; his wife, Kathleen; and two Rehberg staffers, Dustin Frost and Kristin Smith.

Three of the injured were transported by ALERT helicopter and two by ground ambulance to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. All were listed in stable condition Friday morning.

The hospital declined to give any other information about the other crash victims.

Rehberg, a passenger on the boat, was transported by ground ambulance and underwent surgery Friday afternoon for a broken ankle, according to Eric Iverson, a longtime friend and former chief of staff for the congressman.

"He's got some cuts and bruises. He's got a broken ankle. He took quite a bump on his head," Iverson said in a teleconference with media on Friday afternoon.

Iverson said he could not answer questions about the medical condition of others who were on the boat, and he said that during a brief visit with Rehberg in the morning, there was no discussion about how the crash happened or who was driving the boat.

"Denny was awake and alert and concerned about how well everybody else is doing," Iverson said.

He said Rehberg's wife, Jan, was en route with Rehberg's father to Kalispell from Billings on Friday afternoon, and that family members of the others involved were at the hospital.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks wardens at the scene on Friday said the boat had not been moved since the crash, about 100 yards south of the Wayfarers pier, which is well-lit at night. The hull was intact, but the engine outdrive was torn away from the stern and the passenger-side windshield was collapsed forward.

The wardens said a crane was being called in to lift the wreckage off the rocks.

The state park was closed to all public use Friday to allow for the accident investigation, Satterfield said. It was likely to be closed through today.

In addition to the Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Montana Highway Patrol and Flathead County Sheriff's Office are involved in the investigation.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Tom Palmer said the state's top boat-crash experts were on the scene.

"Typically what they will look into is the condition of the boat and try to determine the following: the speed at impact, who was driving, whether or not they had the proper number of life jackets on board - which would have been five - determine if they were wearing any, and determine who was driving," Palmer said. "Whether or not alcohol or drugs is involved is a routine part of such investigations."

The agency had not yet determined to whom the boat was registered and said investigators were still trying Friday afternoon to determine who was driving. An investigation report was not expected before next week, officials said.

Town-hall meetings Rehberg had scheduled in Cut Bank and Shelby on Friday have been canceled.

Rehberg had been in Polson on Thursday visiting St. Joseph Medical Center and Tribal Health Services. He reportedly was staying at Marina Cay in Bigfork.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. For more on this story, see Saturday's Daily Inter Lake.