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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Stranded fam gets no help from 911

Samantha Krous, 20, Misty Tucker, 9, Katie Aragon, 19, and Change Tucker, 6, take a photo together Thursday night on Lake Coeur d'Alene while waiting for rescue. Krous told The Press that the photo was an attempt by the two older girls to cheer up the the two young boys, who became scared when their family's boat broke down and left them stranded on the lake for hours in the middle of the night. (Courtesy photo from Coeur d'Alene Press)

 A Thursday evening boat ride turned into an ordeal that left a local family afloat and stranded, unable to summon help for hours on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Samantha Krous, 20, said the cruise came to a halt when the boat the family and friends were riding in broke down. It happened a short time after 7, the time Krous boarded the vessel at Higgens Point.

She and the other boat passengers — Krous’ parents, her 6- and 9-year-old brothers, her boyfriend and a friend — thought the craft would be repaired quickly and they would be on their way, Krous said.

But hours passed and they still couldn't get the boat running, nor could they flag down any of the few remaining boaters on the water. With no place to turn, Krous said the family eventually called 911 for assistance, and they were shocked by the response they got from the operator/Keith Cousins, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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