It’s interesting that none of the reporters covering these pre-arranged and staged interviews with Rehberg have bothered to ask how Dustin Frost is going to be able to pay the massive medical bills stemming from his injuries.  Hopefully, he has some insurance as a congressional employee, but will they suffice?  Rehberg hasn’t expressed any interest in this topic even though he is one of the wealthiest members of the House of Representatives.  One might have thought he would already have taken the opportunity to assure the citizenry that he will ensure that all of Frost’s medical expenses will be covered.  Of course, we all know that Rehberg opposes health care reform and broadening coverage of the uninsured, so perhaps we should not be surprised by his silence.

dsrobins: You make a good point and I neglected to include it in my story, an oversight on my part. Reporters did ask about Frost’s and Smith’s medical bills. Rehberg said they would be considered to be “staffing” him the night of the crash, and he has made an inquiry to the administrative committee of the House to determine whether they would be eligible for workers’ compensation or some other form of coverage, given the circumstances of the injuries. But Rehberg said he didn’t have an answer to that yet.

Dan, may we expect you will follow up with interviews of the other injured parties, the restaurant, wait staff, and others at the marina?  Is the GPS being sent to the manufacturer for testing?

Rehberg was not on “his own time”, but as a paid official in the capacity of serving constituents. He has stated he was working. Therefore, he was “drinking on the job and/ or drinking for wages.”

Kathy Barkus had an open container (cooler with margaritas).  A bottle, can, jar, or other receptacle that contains any amount of an alcoholic beverage that is open or has a broken seal or the contents of which are partially removed or are immediately capable of being consumed which Montana law prohibits.

Further, operating a vessel in a manner which may endanger the personal health or damage the property of any person is considered negligent operation. A boat’s owner is liable for any injury or damage resulting from negligent operation - not the Workers Compensation Bureau.

Montana law additionally prohibits travel at a speed which does not permit bringing the boat to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead.

45-5-207. Criminal endangerment—penalty. (1) A person who knowingly engages in conduct that creates a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another commits the offense of criminal endangerment.

(2) A person convicted of the offense of criminal endangerment shall be fined an amount not to exceed $50,000 or imprisoned in the state prison for a term not to exceed 10 years, or both.

These aides were considered to be “staffing” for Rep. Rehberg on the night of the crash, but Barkus was ordering Dustin Frost to set up a light on Barkus’ boat. Sounds to me as if Barkus believed those people worked for him. I’m really starting to dislike this guy.

Since Barkus was driving & it is his boat, shouldn’t he have insurance that will pay for injuries etc in the accident.  Instead of us taxpayers having to pay for his workers comp?  I mean, If the aides have no insurance thru their job (is it full time or part time) with Rehberg, then Barkus’s boat insurance should be paying.  I’m also curious if Mr Frost has any other injuries, in addition to the head injury.

Good point, kalgal. I cannot even guess what Mr. Frost’s medical costs are going to be. I hope Mr. Barkus has good insurance because if taxpayers cover this with workers comp, there will be hell to pay.

It’s very hypocritical of Rehberg to want insurance that is paid for by the public to fund the medical expenses, when Rehberg is completely anti-health care reform.

He wants health care for his staff after the fact.  No one else in the US would get medical insurance AFTER they were injured because it would be dismissed as a “pre-existing condition”.

Come on Mr. Rehberg!  What’s it going to be?

Actually Barkus is solely responsible for all injuries sustained in this horrific accident - not the tax payers.

Alcohol, (a six-pack of margaritas on board the boat), speeding in impaired lighting, and the consumption of alcohol are all against Montana boating law.

What goes for these politicians goes for anyone else in a similar situation.

Where does it say there was a six-pack of margaritas?

The 14th paragraph mentions margaritas. However, it does not mention a six pack.