Boat sinks in Flathead Lake

By Jennifer McBride/Leader Staff

POLSON — After about two hours, firefighters managed to pull a sinking boat leaking fuel out of Flathead Lake. According to Polson Fire Chief John Fairchild, the department received an emergency call shortly before 6:00 p.m. Monday night.

The boat's pilot told Fairchild after he had been pulled from the water that he was speeding when the boat began taking on water. The pilot, after spending five to ten minutes in the lake, had to be taken to the St. Josephs hospital for a leg injury and a touch of hypothermia. Fairchild estimated the water temperature was a chilly 49 to 51 degrees because of snow melt from the mountains.

"We wanted to make sure we took care of the victim first," Fairchild said. "Then we wanted to get the boat out of the water before it began leaking anymore fuel."

The fire department had three people on a patrol boat and six to seven people supporting them on shore, he said. The people in the boat wore special protective suits designed for ice rescue which also protected them from biohazards. In this case, Fairchild estimated two to five gallons of gas leaked from the boat before they pulled it to shore about two hours later. He blamed the boat's weight for the difficulty removing it from the lake.

"It was a dead weight," he said.

Fairchild said, to his knowledge, the boat pilot was able to check out of the hospital after being treated for his injuries.