Flathead Lake swimmer killed when hit by boat

A Massachusetts man who was in Montana for a memorial service was struck and killed by a power boat while swimming in Flathead Lake. He was swimming in the Skidoo Bay area when he was struck, according to a release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Karen Sargeant said Darrah was swimming about 300 feet offshore when he was struck by a boat at about 5:30 p.m. Friday. She says the boaters did not see him.

The boat operator and occupants tried to perform CPR on the man, which proved unsuccessful.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was transported to the Montana Crime Lab in Missoula.

Lake County officials say John Guard Darrah, 46, died Friday.

Darrah was in Montana for a memorial service for his wife’s stepfather, Ted Smith, who died Sept. 1 in a 250- to 300-foot fall from a trail near St. Ignatius.

Fish, Wildlife, and Parks officials are investigating. Alcohol was determined not to have been a factor.

Smith’s obituary lists Darrah as husband of Smith’s stepdaughter, Emily Newmann.