Did partying Lake Minnetonka boaters prevent rescue?<br /> <br /> <br />Ross Nustad doesn't know who, if anybody, is to blame for his only brother's death Friday on Lake Minnetonka. But what troubles him about the information he has is that rescuers trying to reach Ryan Nustad were hindered by other boaters.<br /><br />"These people wouldn't move those damn boats," Ross Nustad said Monday evening. There may never be any way to tell whether his younger brother could have been saved if he'd been found more quickly, Nustad said, but his family has heard stories of miraculous rescues before. <br /><br />About 300 boats had pulled into Cruiser's Cove along Big Island to party and watch the July 4th fireworks from three cities, said Capt. Bill Chandler. He wasn't surprised by the numbers, but what stood out was the demeanor of the boaters.<br /><br />"It was ugly," he said. "This was extreme. People were partying and didn't want to move." <br /><br />As one deputy approached the scene in a patrol boat, six people swam up and climbed on to stop his progress. Most thought it was funny, but one man threatened the deputy before they got off. The deputy had to call "officer needs help," Chandler said. "They just overwhelmed him." <br /><br />The events leading to the death of Ryan P. Nustad, 31, of Mound, apparently began with an argument between Nustad's boat and another boat over one of them driving poorly, Chandler said. <br /><br />Two men in the other boat were arrested, but one was released over the weekend and the other on Monday. Investigators are trying to determine what happened that night, and no charges are expected this week, Chandler said.<br /><br />Investigators are asking anyone with information to call sheriff's detectives at 612-348-3755.<br /><br />Chandler declined to give a detailed account of what happened, but he said alcohol was a factor. He didn't elaborate. After the initial argument, the two boats pulled alongside each other, and Nustad apparently leaned into the boat carrying two men. Witnesses said Nustad somehow landed in the lake and was hit by a boat, Chandler said. <br /><br />Earl Gray, an attorney representing the boater who was released from jail Monday, said Nustad pulled alongside his client's boat. His client did nothing criminal and, contrary to some reports, hadn't hit Nustad, Gray said. <br /><br />A punch thrown by Nustad missed his client and caused Nustad to fall halfway into his client's boat before tumbling into the water, Gray said.<br /><br />"And the idea that my client drove over this man is absolutely ridiculous," Gray said. "It simply isn't true." <br /><br />Nustad's body was found at 11:50 p.m. Friday. He died from blunt force injuries, the county medical examiner found. <br /><br />Chandler and Kim Elverum, boating and water safety coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said they believe this was the first time "boat rage" has led to a death in the state. <br /><br />"In my 29 years, I've never seen [such] a fatality," Elverum said. "Sure people lose their tempers on lakes and rivers over the years, but not to this extent that I am aware of." <br /><br />Chandler, who has worked the lake since 1982, said it took deputies about 20 minutes to get through the raft of boats to the scene. <br /><br />About 20 boaters helped search shallow areas of Cruiser's Cove along Big Island for the missing man for about 40 minutes, Chandler said. It took about three hours, until fireworks shows had ended, to clear Cruiser's Cove so a boat with a sonar device could be used. It located Nustad after about 40 minutes. <br /><br />The issue of rafting boats obstructing water patrol deputies around Big Island was serious enough in the late 1990s that the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District in April 2000 approved two safety lanes marked by buoys. <br /><br />Before the lanes were in place, rafting boats stopped deputies from getting to emergencies and boats where crimes such as sexual assault and illegal drug use were reported, Chandler said. The safety lanes have worked well and were clear on Friday, Chandler said.<br /><br />Still, there were groups of up to 100 boats tied together in back-to-back rows, he said.<br /><br />The number of boats rafting on July 4th is typical of the holiday weekend, Chandler said. He noted that Lake Minnetonka has the highest density of boats per acre of any lake in the state. <br /><br />Chandler and residents say that the problems Friday night were unusual and that most boaters cooperate with authorities. Deputies didn't have time to tag boaters obstructing them while trying to reach the scene of Nustad's death, Chandler said. <br /><br />On Monday, Lake Minnetonka was relatively bucolic compared with the holiday weekend. Locals say boating traffic doesn't normally get heavy until Friday afternoon. Much of that traffic is from people from outside the area who use public access points to launch.<br /><br />Karen Collings has owned a house on the shore in Tonka Bay, not far from Big Island, for 20 years. From her dock, Collings can see the swarm of boats moving across the channel to the island where they tie together and party. <br /><br />"Fourth of July you don't want to be out there," she said. One year, she counted 600 boats from her dock. <br /><br />"Most people are pretty respectful," she said. "But a few people can ruin it for everyone."<br /><br />Memories, questions <br /><br />On Monday as Ross Nustad spoke of his only sibling, he took moments to compose himself after a long day of making funeral arrangements. Sorrow crept through his voice as he recalled the outdoorsman who had hunted since he was 10.<br /><br />"He loved hunting and fishing," Ross said. "We were at his place today and there were three bucks hanging on his wall."<br /><br />The family is hoping to find out exactly what led to "Little Newwy's" death.<br /><br />"We have to know what happened, no matter what that is," he said.<br />Story in MN............
