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| Collaborative Effort Used in John Day River Body Recovery -8/28/09 |
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A dramatic boat crash on the John Day River near LaPage State Park happened on August 22, in the early evening, as a high-speed boat lost control, ejecting the passenger and boat operator. It was later determined that alcohol was involved and a contributing factor to the boat crash.
The operator, Gerald Fitzpatrick, age 38, and his passenger, Marie Riehl, age 43, both from Sandy, went into the water. Reihl did not resurface. Other boaters were able to assist Fitzpatrick from the water, who suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. He was later booked into the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR) in The Dalles and later posted bail.
Fitzpatrick and Riehl were riding on a 21-foot Aliminator boat on the John Day River near the mouth of the Columbia River, in Sherman County.
Sherman County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police Troopers from Sherman and Gilliam Counties, Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, Skamania County Sheriff’s Dive Team and the Army Corps of Engineers worked collectively to try to locate the victim and recover the boat and debris. The boat was recovered on Sunday, August 23rd. The dive team was unable to locate the victim. The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Team was called to assist in the search. Boat crash reconstructionists were also called in to assist in the accident investigation.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office is equipped with a special boat with instrumentation that aids in locating objects underwater, called side-scan sonar. The Klamath County Dive Rescue Team has recovered dozens of drowning victims’ bodies since obtaining the equipment in the early 2000’s with side-scan sonar technology. Because of potentially dangerous river hazards and conditions, using this technology helps reduce risk to divers and other rescue personnel.
By Monday, August 28, the Klamath County Dive Rescue Team arrived on scene. After locating the victim with side scan sonar, it took only nine minutes to recover her body. Reihl’s death was ruled a drowning.
Fitzpatrick was indicted for Criminally Negligent Homicide, Second-Degree Manslaughter and Boating Under the Influence of Intoxicants.
The Oregon State Marine Board, the agency responsible for obtaining statistics on boating-related accidents and fatalities in Oregon, salutes the tremendous effort put forth from Washington and Oregon law enforcement agencies and the assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers. It’s important to rescue boaters in distress and when incidents turn tragic, recover them as quickly as possible, so friends and family can have closure. Although sometimes difficult, law enforcement use their training, experience and technology to the best of their abilities.
In Oregon, 30 percent of boating fatalities (passengers and operators alike) involve alcohol or other intoxicants. It’s important to not operate any machinery, car or boat, when impaired. Lower inhibitions, impaired judgment and slower reaction times are effects of alcohol intoxication which can be measured with breath testing instrumentation and performing field sobriety tests.
For more information about boating safety, statistics and boating under the influence of alcohol, visit www.boatoregon.com/OSMB/safety/safety.shtml.
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