Speedboat driver in crash that killed 4 had 7 convictions

The driver of a speedboat involved in a Friday night crash that killed four people, including the driver, had racked up numerous drunken driving convictions, according to online Wisconsin court records.

Mark Michels, 50, of Eau Claire, Wis., had been charged seven times with operating under the influence [OWI], the records showed. His boat and a deck-boat carrying six members of a wedding party collided head-on on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wis., about 9:45 p.m. Friday.

Authorities said both boats were traveling swiftly when the accident was reported, even though they should have slowed down after nightfall.

Luke Pohl, 25, of Elk River; Matthew Simonson, 28, of Brooklyn Park; and Matthew Overhulser, 28, of Eau Claire, also died.

Michels' passenger, Carol Oller, 49, of Hayward, Wis., was injured. They were the only two on the speedboat and had been seen drinking at a Lake Hallie, Wis., bar earlier in the evening.

Authorities have said the driver of the deck boat, Robert Romanshek, 56, of Eau Claire, also had been drinking before the accident. No decision has been made yet about whether he will be charged, authorities said. The other survivors include Leo Pohl, 29, and Gregory Voight, 29, both of Buffalo, Minn.

All six of the people on the deck boat were in town to celebrate the marriage Saturday of Leo Pohl, the brother of Luke Pohl, and Maura Romanshek, 27, the daughter of Robert Romanshek. The wedding has been postponed.

Simonson had worked as a landscaper and recently bought a truck and a house. He loved to fish and often went out boating with his friends, said his uncle, Michael Simonson.

Matthew Simonson had proposed to his fiancée a week before his death, his uncle said.

"We were told to just remember that caring face and the nice guy that he was," said Michael Simonson.

"It's tragic," he said. "I haven't slept since. It's really hard."

The families of the other victims did not want to comment Monday.

Authorities said the investigation into the boat crash could take several weeks.

"I've been sheriff for 34 years," Kowalczyk said. "And the state of Wisconsin has done everything under the sun to curb OWI. I see only one fix to the problem. Absolute sobriety for everyone."