CLICK HERE: Photos from Rehberg accident scene
Dustin Frost, the state director for U.S. Congressman Denny Rehberg, was released from the hospital on Friday, three weeks after he suffered a serious head injury in a boat accident on Flathead Lake.
Frost was discharged shortly after 10:00 a.m. from Community Medical Center in Missoula and will begin an outpatient rehabilitation program.
It was three weeks ago that Rehberg, Frost, staffer Kristen Smith along with MT state senator Greg Barkus and his wife were involved in a night-time boating accident near Big Fork. Of the five in the boat, Frost was the most seriously injured, remaining in a coma for more than a week.
Frost will continue his recovery in an outpatient setting, working with the Bridges Program at Community Medical Center.
Last week Rod Frost said during a press conference that he doesn't have any hard feelings towards anyone involved in the crash.
The Frost family released the following statement on Friday:
The family of Dustin Frost is pleased to announce that he will be discharged from the Rehabilitation Institute of Montana at Community Medical Center on Friday, September 18, 2009. Dustin has progressed in his recovery much faster than originally anticipated. According to Dr. Dean Ross, Dustin's physician, "He has a very bright prognosis for recovery of high level intellectual functions, enabling return to his work in the months ahead. Dustin has achieved independence for routine daily activities, including walking. He will continue to bring a determined attitude to each session challenging his therapists to keep up with him."
Dustin will continue his recovery in an outpatient setting, working with the Bridges Program at Community Medical Center. Bridges is a post-acute brain injury program that will aid Dustin's assimilation back into the community.
The Frost family is extremely grateful to the dedicated professionals at Community Medical Center who have given Dustin the highest level of care.
The thoughts and prayers of so many supporters across Montana have helped carry Dustin and the Frost family through these difficult times.
CLICK HERE: Listen to the entire radio interview from the Voices of Montana Talk Show
Congressman Denny Rehberg says that he did not lose consciousness following a boat accident on Flathead Lake, but was thrown around like a rag doll.
Rehberg talked to reporters for the first time following the August 27th accident in Bigfork where five people suffered serious injuries.
The Republican said the driver of the boat, State Senator Greg Barkus of Kalispell, told him just before impact with the rocky shoreline that something doesn't seem right. Barkus had been using a guidance system to help him navigate in the dark.
The accident happened on the east shore of Flathead Lake around 10:30 at night. Dustin Frost and Kristen Smith along with Kathy Barkus were on the board the boat with Rehberg at the time of the crash.
Frost suffered the most serious injuries but is showing some signs of improvement. Jim Oliverson, spokesman for Kalispell Regional Medical Center, says Frost, 27, was moved from the critical care unit to the intermediate care unit on Monday. Oliverson added Frost sat up for the first time on Sunday.
Officials say Frost will need extensive physical therapy as he recovers from his injuries. Rehberg said Frost was the only person sitting in the back of the boat at the time of the accident. Moments before impact Kristen Smith had moved up near Rehberg in the passenger seat.
Rehberg said Smith did most of the directing during the emergency response, including identifying those injured.
Rehberg was also questioned about alcohol use by he and Barkus that night. Rehberg said he had two draft beers during the course of the evening but may not have finished the second one. His blood alcohol level of .05 was released the day after the accident.
The blood alcohol content for Sen. Barkus has not been released, but Rehberg was emphatic when asked if Barkus showed any signs of impairment prior to the crash saying there was no signs of impairment.
Now back in Washington DC, Rehberg is using his late grandmother's walker to get around. He said his main concern remains the health of the other people on the boat.
One week ago after a severe boating accident on Flathead Lake injured 5 people including Congressman Denny Rehberg, the county attorney's office says the driver of the boat was drinking.
Flathead County attorney Ed Corrigan says Senator Greg Barkus of Kalispell was drinking the night the boat crashed into rocks along Wayfarer's State Park.
Authorities are still waiting for blood tests from the state crime lab, and delivery of Barkus' medical records before determining whether to file charges. Corrigan has said he is weighing felony charges.
A critical piece of information will be whether or not Barkus' blood alcohol level was above the legal limit of 0.08 for a vehicle operator. Corrigan says he hopes to get that information in the next week or so.
Driving records show that Barkus was pulled over for drunk driving a few years ago, an arrest that resulted in a conviction of reckless driving.
Authorities say that the boat which crashed last week hurting Congressman Dennis Rehberg and four others was traveling at about 40 mph when it hit the shore near Bigfork.
Flathead County District Attorney Ed Corrigan also said that a search warrant executed on the boat showed that the steering wheel was crumpled and a large engine was torn off the back by the impact of the crash.
A subpoena was served in order to obtain the blood results and medical records of State Senator Greg Barkus who was driving the boat and Corrigan says they have been forwarded to the State Crime Lab in Missoula for analysis.
Meanwhile, the Montana Highway Patrol is still working on reconstructing the accident scene.
Corrigan says he met with the family of Rehberg staffer Dustin Frost, who suffered a head and brain injury in the accident, and they remain optimistic that he'll make a recovery.
Rehberg suffered a broken ankle and an eye injury in the accident and is back home in Billings recovering. Barkus, his wife Kathy and Rehberg staffer Kristin Smith were also injured in the crash.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Department released their initial report on the accident Wednesday.
(from September 2, 2009)
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office has released an initial report on the boating accident near Bigfork which hurt five people including Congressman Denny Rehberg.
Officers say that on the night of the accident they received the report of an accident at Wayfarer's state park at 10:24 p.m. When officers arrived on the scene, they saw the boat run aground on one of the cliffs, completely out of the water and wedged between two rocks.
A woman inside the boat was receiving care from an unknown person. There were still four people near the water who needed medical attention. Officers helped medical personnel lift the patients from the waterfront up the cliff.
Dustin Frost, Rehberg's State Director, remains in the hospital with a serious brain and head injury. State Senator Greg Barkus was driving the boat on Thursday night and is also in the hospital, but his condition has not been released through his attorney.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the boat crash near Bigfork that injured five people, including Congressman Denny Rehberg and State Senator Greg Barkus.
Officials with the Flathead County Attorney's Office say that they have not made any decisions about any possible charges relating to Thursday night's wreck.
A search warrant was issued by the Flathead District Court Tuesday morning for the boat which Barkus was driving, and Flathead Deputy County Attorney Alison Howard says that no evidence of substantial value was seized from the boat. However, there was evidence of a violent crash happening at high speeds.
Flathead Deputy County Attorney Caleb Simpson says that it appears the boat hit a rock out-cropping and then pitched up on shore farther north.
Meanwhile, an investigative subpoena was served on the hospital for Barkus's medical records.
All five people traveling in the boat were hurt. While Rehberg and staffer Kristen Smith are back home, Kalispell Regional Medical Center officials say that Dustin Frost, who suffered a head and brain injury, remains stable and sedated in the hospital.
Barkus' last reported condition was stable, and his wife was released from the hospital Monday.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office is still reviewing evidence and completing the investigation and Howard says that ""We're not looking at this point at pressing charges against any of the passengers including Mr. Rehberg, and we have not made any conclusive decision as to what we're going to do with Mr. Barkus, but we definitely, because they were passengers in the boat, there is no possibility of any criminal charges against the other people involved."
A Rehberg spokesman says that Barkus was driving everyone across Flathead Lake to Bigfork following a dinner reception in Lakeside when the crash occurred.
The Republican is still recovering from the injuries he sustained in the accident and his wife Jan told us that while he's glad to be home, the Congressman is anxious to get back to work.
Jan Rehberg added that Denny is under doctor's orders to keep off his surgically repaired ankle for the next six weeks. And in the meantime, he's keeping up on daily events and office matters by using his Blackberry.
Five days after being injured in a boating accident in Western Montana, Congressman Denny Rehberg is back in Billings and recovering at home. The Congressman is on crutches and sporting a cast after surgeons repaired his broken left ankle.
Former Rehberg Chief of Staff Erik Iverson says Rehberg also has a minor head injury that doctors don't expect to cause any problems. He added that Rehberg remembers only parts of Thursday's crash.
"(He was) visiting with Kathy Barkus, and then sort of looking up right before impact and realizing that land was imminent. And then you know, after that he doesn't have a lot of detail..other then...hearing people coming to help them, and he remembers the ambulance, he called me from the ambulance."
Rehberg's spokespeople say its too early to tell at this time if he will be able to return to Congress later in September. He is reportedly under doctor's orders to not put any weight on his ankle for three weeks.
Rehberg's State Director, Dustin Frost suffered a brain injury in the accident and remains sedated. Iverson said he does not believe that Frost has regained consciousness since the accident, but doctors are hoping for a recovery.
Meanwhile, Rehberg Deputy Chief of Staff, Kristin Smith was also released from Kalispell Regional Medical Center on Monday.
Republican State Senator Greg Barkus of Kalispell was driving the boat when it crashed and has hired an attorney. He is is not allowing others to discuss his condition. His wife Kathy was released from the hospital Monday and said that her husband remains in the Intensive Care Unit.
Authorities say their investigation into the crash continues and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has turned over its file on the accident to the Flathead County Attorney.
Initial Report
Montana's U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg is in stable condition at Kalispell Regional Hospital this evening, following a Thursday night boating accident on Flathead Lake near Bigfork.
Rehberg was a passenger on 22-foot motorboat when it crashed on the rocks near Wayfarers State Park shortly after 10:30 p.m.
Also on board were Montana State Senator Greg Barkus of Kalispell and three others; all five people are in the hospital and they are all listed in stable condition. In addition to Rehberg and Barkus, the passengers included Barkus' wife, and two of Rehberg's staff members, Dustin Frost and Kristin Smith.
Campers near the site heard the crash and called 911. The boat was left vertical on a small cliff along the shoreline (see images below). Three people were taken to the hospital by ambulance and two by helicopter. Authorities aren't¹ saying who was driving the boat at the time of the accident.
MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Flathead deputies, and the Montana Highway Patrol, are all participating in the investigation into the accident. That includes looking at speed, alcohol, and other factors, which are part of any boat accident investigations.
Congressman Rehberg got out of surgery for a broken left ankle late Friday afternoon; he also suffered an injury to the head and cuts and scrapes to his face, but is expected to make a full recovery.
In a telephone conference call, Erik Iverson, who once served as Rehberg's chief of staff and also as the chairman of the Montana GOP, is at the Kalispell hospital with the Rehberg and reports that Rehberg is in good spirits but sore from the accident.
Iverson said, "Denny's concern right now is with everybody else that was on the boat, and he is obviously (having) some of his own medical issues; you know he's having surgery to repair his ankle, that's sort of the primary concern at this point. We want to get through the day and make sure everyone involved is going to be OK."
Image via Alex Strickland/Bigfork Eagle:
Image via Alex Strickland/Bigfork Eagle:
Image via Steve Felt:
Image via Steve Felt:
