Where there's water, danger lurks

It was a tragedy.

That part is not up for debate.

The death of Christopher Lancaster, who apparently drove into Hayden Lake from the Honeysuckle Boat Launch, was just plain awful — no matter the cause.

Lancaster’s companion, Andrea Berkey, somehow escaped the doomed vehicle, and miraculously clung to the dock long enough to avoid drowning or dying of hypothermia.

Both Berkey and Lancaster’s relatives claim the couple was simply visiting the area, thus apparently ruling out motives like suicide for this vehicle plunging into the icy lake.

We can all agree that this was a terrible event, I believe, and the loss of a 34-year-old man with so much life in front of him is particularly hard to take.

However ...

I disagree completely with the members of Lancaster’s family who have urged that a barrier be installed at the boat launch.

“If we can prevent another tragic death, it’s worth it,” said Dustin Lancaster, the victim’s brother.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t prevent a thing.

Incidents like this one are going to happen, sadly, unless the state spends billions of dollars building walls around every lake.

That was stated facetiously, in case you have even a hint of doubt.

But even then, walls and all, somebody would die by crashing into the water.

There are already so many impediments to driving a car toward the end of Honeysuckle Launch — $150,000 worth already — that it almost looks like the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Putting some massive gate at the head of the launch not only would be unfair to fishermen and sport boaters who want to hit the lake at odd hours, it wouldn’t stop the occasional disaster involving an automobile and water.

Do me a favor and close your eyes for a second.

Now let your mind wander, and think of all the places in and around Kootenai County where you can take a car right up to the edge of a lake.

There are almost too many to count.

In fact, there are spots where it’s far easier to tease yourself near a looming body of water than at Honeysuckle Boat Launch.

NO DOUBT this death was a body blow to Chris Lancaster’s family members, and I believe they’re sincere in suggesting that more safety measures are needed.

Still, public policy involving taxpayer money — perhaps a lot of it — cannot be determined by a single mistake.

Whatever weird circumstances prompted this man to drive an automobile into Hayden Lake, they don’t constitute any rationale for even more obstacles to the boat launch.

If the place was a genuine safety hazard — say, a city street that suddenly ended at the water with no warning — then obviously you have to act.

Quickly.

That’s not the case, though.

A driver had to swerve around islands and berms, ignoring repeated signs, to reach the water.

Whatever Chris Lancaster’s reasons for weaving his way toward disaster, it did not come down to the City of Hayden or lack of warning.

And no...

It clearly doesn’t constitute any valid reason for punishing all the boaters who use that launch properly and safely.

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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press.

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