Fatal Shuswap Lake boat crash ruled accidental

Feb 5, 2021 | 12:34 PM

A boating accident on Shuswap Lake that killed a 33-year old Lake Country man has been ruled accidental by the B.C. Coroners Service.

While ruling it accidental, the coroners report stated “drug and alcohol intoxication were contributing factors.”

RCMP were called on Sept. 1, 2019 at approximately 8:30 p.m., after reports of two large power boats colliding between Sicamous and Canoe.

The accident happened in an area of the lake that is estimated to be 250 to 350 feet in depth.

The pilot of one of the boats, 33-year-old Ryan Dieter Hartmann of Lake Country, was unaccounted for. His body was recovered on Sept. 9, 2019 by an RCMP dive team.

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The report concluded Hartmann had been operating his 36-foot high powered racing boat (700-800 horsepower) alongside a 28-foot racing style boat. Hartmann’s boat was drawn toward the smaller boat and he corrected sharply to the right ejecting all the occupants of his boat into the lake. The passengers were rescued by other boaters, but there was no sign of Hartmann.

Hartmann suffered ‘blunt force trauma’ to his chest as he was thrown for the watercraft, the coroner determined.

A toxicology report found mixed drug ingestion and a level of alcohol in his system which the coroner said is consistent with moderate intoxication. The coroner ruled the death accidental with both the trauma and intoxication listed as contributing factors in Hartmann’s death.

by Kevin Rothwell

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