Excessive speed, winds caused Pend Oreille boat crash that left 4 dead; alcohol may have played role

Excessive speed combined with gusting winds caused the Pend Oreille River boat crash that left four dead in June, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office said Monday. Alcohol also may have played a factor.

The sheriff’s office searched the river for days after a boat capsized on the evening of June 28 near Old Thama Ferry Road, 6 miles southeast of Priest River. Eventually, the bodies of all four occupants were recovered.

Gregory J. Daiker, 59, of Laclede, Idaho; Aaron J. Faulhaber, 49, of Laclede; Jason L. Maxson, 51, of Laclede; and John R. Schulte, 59, of Sandpoint, died in the crash.

The boat was traveling at about 100 mph at the time of the crash, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Monday.

Daiker, the boat’s owner, had a blood alcohol level of 0.228, over the legal limit of 0.08, leading investigators to believe alcohol was also a factor. There were not enough life jackets on board for the number of people on the boat, the sheriff’s office said.

With so many waterways in Bonner County, the sheriff’s office offers free boating safety classes, according to the news release. More information on the classes, offered throughout the boating season, is available by emailing marine@bonnercountid.gov.

Emma Epperly can be reached at (509) 459-5122 or at emmae@spokesman.com.