Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

N. Idaho man dies after rescue from chilly Medicine Lake

A North Idaho man rescued from a capsized boat Wednesday on one of the Coeur d’Alene River chain lakes has died. Dwayne Knapton, 52, of Osburn, Idaho, died from hypothermia at Kootenai Medical Center, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said today. Knapton and Michael Jensen, 51, of Pinehurst, Idaho, were duck hunting on Medicine Lake near Medimont when their 10-foot boat was swamped and capsized. The men, who were not wearing life jackets, clung to the boat until they were rescued. They had been in the 40-degree water from 30 to 45 minutes. A traveler on Highway 3 noticed the men clinging to the submerged boat early Wednesday afternoon. The witness called 911 and flagged down an Idaho Fish and Game Officer. Two fish and game officers launched an airboat and retrieved Knapton and Jensen from the water. Both men were hypothermic and Knapton was taken by air ambulance to KMC, where he was listed in critical condition before succumbing. Jenson was treated at the scene and released. The sheriff’s Recreation Safety Section is investigating.