Three boaters missing, presumed dead from Saturday crash on Lake Cd'A
<p>Don Sausser of Coeur d'Alene took this photo of the Coeur d'Alene Fire Boat at 10 p.m. Saturday as it transported victims of a two-boat collision to the Third Street docks. Several people were taken to Kootenai Health with injuries and three are missing and presumed drowned.</p>
The names of three boaters who remain missing since a boat crash Saturday night on Lake Coeur d'Alene were released by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office.
Justin M. Luhr, 34, of Medical Lake, Washington, and his two passengers, Justin T. Honken, 21, of Post Falls and Caitlin A. Breeze, 21, of Spokane, have been missing since the boat collision occurred around 9:15 p.m. Saturday on Lake Coeur d'Alene near Three-mile Point, between Stevens Point and Swede Bay.
A sheriff's office investigation has revealed there were five adults on a 2011 Mastercraft X25 open bow boat and they were traveling south on the lake.
The Mastercraft collided with a 1989 Formula 223LS that was either stationary at the time or northbound. The Formula is reported to have had three adults on board.
The three adults from the Formula are missing and presumed drowned.
The five adults from the Mastercraft were transported to Kootenai Health for non-life threatening injuries and released.
Sheriff’s Marine units continued to search the surface and shoreline throughout Saturday night and Sunday for the three boaters in the Formula without success. The search is now focused on the lake’s bottom, which is about 120 feet deep in the area of the crash.
The investigation is still in its preliminary stages. The Sheriff’s SONAR Team is currently assembling and preparing to begin searching the lake bottom for the three.
As the SONAR boat begins its search as early as this afternoon, boaters are asked to stay clear of the area and if they are traversing through, that they minimize their wake.
If anyone has information relating to this investigation, they are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Recreation Safety Section at (208)446-2250.