COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) - An eastern Washington man found not guilty of three counts of involuntary manslaughter in a criminal trial following a boating crash on Lake Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho has been ordered to pay $180,000 in a civil case.
A jury on Monday determined Dennis Magner of Spokane, Washington, is 30 percent responsible for the crash.
The July 2016 nighttime collision killed 34-year-old Justin Luhr of Medical Lake, Washington; 21-year-old Justin Honken of Post Falls, Idaho; and 21-year-old Caitlin Breeze of Spokane.
The jury determined Luhr was 70 percent responsible for the crash for operating his boat without navigation lights.
The jury said Breeze’s family sustained $300,000 in damages, and Honken’s parents each sustained $150,000 in damages. Because the jurors determined Magner was 30 percent responsible, he was directed to pay $90,000 to each family.
___
This story has been updated to correct the amount of damages awarded to the victim’s families.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.