Water skier dies on Priest Lake

COOLIN — A water skier was fatally injured Thursday after colliding with a dock on Priest Lake. The collision occurred at a residence in the 200 block of North Sandy Shores Lane shortly after 3 p.m.

Bonner County Sheriff’s Det. Phil Stella said Daniel Thomas McGinnity was skiing behind a boat driven by family members when he hit the dock.

“It’s unclear if he was trying to water ski into the dock or if he was trying to splash other relatives on the dock,” Stella said.

McGinnity, 43, of Spokane, was taken to Priest Lake State Park’s Lionhead unit to rendezvous with a Life Flight Network helicopter.

“Ultimately, the skier was pronounced dead prior to transport by Life Flight,” said Stella.

McGinnity was being towed by a boat containing relatives, some of whom witnessed the crash.

Stella said it appeared alcohol was not a factor in the collision and criminal charges are not expected to be filed.

“All indications are that it was just a tragic incident,” said Stella.

The death is the third fatality on a Bonner County waterway this year. A toddler drowned in Jewel Lake on April 27 and a 64-year-old woman drowned in Lake Pend Oreille while walking back to a condominium in Hope.