Three injured in crash on Newman Lake

Three people were sent to the hospital Monday afternoon after their personal watercrafts crashed into one another on Newman Lake about 2:15 p.m., said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.

According to marine Deputy Wade Nelson, 23-year-old Brian A. Riehle, of Newman Lake, was operating a Jet Ski with his girlfriend, 18-year-old Elizabeth Shadwell, of Indiana, on the back.

A friend, Thomas A. McLaughlin, 23, of Sunnyside, Wash., was operating a second personal water craft with no passenger.

At the time of the incident, a boat passed the two personal watercrafts and McLaughlin found himself headed for the Riehle craft at 45 mph. The two water crafts collided in a glancing sideswipe, with each operator possibly breaking a leg.

McLaughlin was thrown over the handlebars of the craft he was driving and may have suffered additional facial injuries.

Nelson said all three went to local hospitals for treatment. He said it did not appear that alcohol was a factor in the crash.