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Tragedy strikes wedding party in Wisconsin river boat accident

Posted on Jul 25, 2011

A boat collision claimed the life of three groomsmen the day before a wedding was to take place in Wisconsin last weekend.

Four persons-including the groom's brother- were killed in all and the groom was hospitalized when the wedding party's pontoon-like Princecraft boat collided with a speedboat at approximately 9:45 p.m. on Friday, July 22. The accident occurred in a popular recreation area called Riverview Park, close to Two Taverns and Two Waters bars.

The groom was Leo Pohl of Buffalo, Minnesota. The bride-to-be was not on the boat and it is believed the wedding did not take place, said Chippewa County Undersheriff Eugene Gutsh.

The impact of the collision reportedly drove the speedboat to circle out of control and run aground, killing the driver, Mark Michels, 50, of Eau Claire, Wis. A passenger on the boat, Carol Oller, 49, of Hayward, Wis., was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The three groomsmen on the larger boat who were killed were Matthew Overhulser, 28, of Eau Claire, Luke Pohl, 25, believed to be the groom's brother, of Elk River, Minn., and Matthew Simonson, 28, of Brooklyn Park, Minn. Overhulser's body was found Friday. Pohl and Simonson's body were found Sunday morning by a kayaker and search team.

Though the speedboat was reportedly seen to be located at a bar before the accident, it has not been determined if alcohol was involved.

The speedboat operator, a 56-year-old man from Eau Claire, was arrested but released. An investigation is predicted to take months.

No one aboard either boat was wearing a life jacket, Gutsh said.

Source: Associated Press

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