Boat, Personal Watercraft Collide; Four Are Injured

Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a Spokane River collision between a motorboat and a personal watercraft that injured four people Saturday night.

The crash just west of Harbor Island sank the 18-foot Bayliner and heavily damaged the Polaris watercraft, authorities said.

“At this time we’re still trying to figure out if anybody took evasive action,” said Sgt. Dan Soumas.

The boat was hit on the port side, near the stern. The watercraft’s bow was damaged.

The man riding the Polaris, 33-year-old Gary Shawver of Julietta, Idaho, was taken to Kootenai Medical Center with a broken pelvis. He was listed Sunday in fair condition.

Three boat passengers - Lynn Houck, 43, Derrick Houck, 16, and Corey Deleonardo, 16, all of Post Falls - were treated and released with minor injuries.

Boat owner Ron Houck, who was riding in the bow but was not injured, said his son was westbound on the river, traveling about 30 mph, when the 6:30 p.m. accident occurred.

According to Houck, Shawver was eastbound at about the same speed.

“He was coming right at us,” Houck said.

He said his son turned to miss the skier, but Shawver “swerved and headed right back at us. It seemed like he was looking back at his buddy behind him.”

The Riverside Harbor swimming area was closed until a hazardous materials team could clean up leaked fuel and oil. State environmental officials reopened the beach Sunday morning.

Despite new laws restricting the way personal watercraft are operated, Soumas said it doesn’t appear there were fewer accidents this year.

Earlier this month, three kids on personal watercraft hit a bridge, and two boys recently collided on Hayden Lake, he said. There were two other minor accidents reported Saturday.

“We seem to be on par or ahead of where we were last year,” Soumas said.

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