Originally published Monday, September 29, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
Woman killed in boating wreck was music teacher in Bellevue
The 37-year-old woman who was killed when a speedboat rammed into an anchored sailboat on Lake Washington was identified this morning as music teacher Heather DeHart of Bothell.
Seattle Times staff reporters
The 37-year-old woman who was killed when a speedboat rammed into an anchored sailboat on Lake Washington was identified this morning as music teacher Heather DeHart of Bothell.
Witnesses said a motorboat, piloted by a 17-year-old boy, was traveling at a high rate of speed before it struck the stationary sailboat Saturday night, Seattle police said.
The 17-year-old, his 16-year-old passenger and a 45-year-old man aboard the sailboat were taken to Harborview Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries. A third man on the sailboat was uninjured, police said.
Seattle police and fire officials said DeHart was thrown from the sailboat and killed on impact when the motorboat collided with the rear end of the sailboat around 8:45 p.m.
The teenage driver, whose name has not been released, was questioned and released, Witt said.
Records show that DeHart was a music teacher at Tyee Middle School in the Bellevue School District.
The accident occurred west of Mercer Island, off the 4500 block of Lake Washington Boulevard South near Seattle's Seward Park. Police did not say whether the crash was within 100 yards of the shoreline, where the speed limit is 7 knots, or 8 mph.
Witt said witnesses on shore said the motorboat hit the sailboat, went up over the back of it and struck the woman. Witt said witnesses told police the sailboat was anchored at the time of the crash. She did not know whether its lights were on, making it visible to other boats.
Seattle police are still investigating the accident.
Last year, more than 26 people died in boating accidents in Washington state, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Boaters between the ages of 12 and 20 are required to take a one-time basic boating-safety class to obtain the Boating Safety Education Card required by the state. The law, which eventually will apply to everyone born after Jan. 1, 1955, applies to anyone who operates a boat powered by a motor with at least 15 horsepower.
It wasn't immediately known whether the teen driver had taken the course.
Christine Clarridge can be reached at cclarridge@seattletimes.com or at 206-464-8983
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
New laws help tenants evicted due to foreclosure
Researchers stunned by inmates' success raising endangered frogs
Seattle may allow homeowners to build backyard cottages
Federal Way group on trail of missing pets
Must Metro commuting at Northgate be so chaotic?

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new compact car? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Shooting unveils very different sides of McNair
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Quincy Jones remembers "the biggest entertainer on the planet": Michael Jackson
- Confessions of an Idol Addict | "American Idols" on tour: Live coverage from opening date
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
247 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
172 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
135 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
125 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
112 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
103 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
100 - Anti-tax rally in Olympia attracts about 1,500
68 - Seeking your questions
53 - Mariners did their part, now they need help
44
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
- The People's Pharmacy | Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen
- Toyota's Toyoda scolds execs for emulating U.S. car companies' mistakes
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Outdoor-theater season kicks off at Volunteer Park
- Seattle safety project: A snake shelter on Beacon Hill





