Sandpoint man injured in Hauser Lake boat accident

A Sandpoint man was badly injured today at Hauser Lake when he was thrown off a tube being towed by a ski boat. Jeffrey A. Nevis, 48, was being towed about 3:55 p.m. by an 18-foot open bow boat driven by Michael L. Vielguth of Spokane, Kootenai County Sheriff’s officials said. Vielguth, 46, tried to whip Nevis around at a high speed, but wind and waves threw him off the tube, witnesses told police. Nevis hit the water and was unable to move. The boat’s occupants immediately jumped in, but couldn’t get Nevis out of the water or back to shore, police said. Marine deputies, Kootenai County dive team members and medical personnel responded by boat and got Nevis out of the water. He was taken to Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene, where he was in serious condition tonight, a hospital spokeswoman said. Nevis was wearing a life jacket, which prevented him from drowning, a sheriff’s news release said.