Voss hurt in race accident

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DEPUE — It was just a year ago when Chillicothe’s Nick Davis lost his life on the water of Lake DePue. This year’s 500 Sprint Hydro APBA PRO champion was awarded in his memory.

On Saturday, the DePue boat race community breathed a collective sigh of relief when another scary accident did not cause a loss of life.

Racer Pete Voss of Riverhead, N.Y. collided boats with Donald Rusnak of Aliquippa, Pa in the 500cc Runabout. Voss was thrown from his boat at full speed, estimated to be between 90 to 100 miles per hour, and hit his right hip on his boat on the way into the lake.

Eric Bryant of the DePue Men’s Club, said doctors feared Voss was going to need total hip replacement, but were able to pin it.

Voss is recovering from surgery at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley.

Rusnak and Brad Burk-land of Hampton, who was trailing the accident, sustained only minor injuries.

Bryant was thankful it was not worse.

“Aw man, three boats and three guys flying in the water,” he said. “(Voss) lost his helmet and everybody thought it was a head or neck injury. He was OK because he was joking around when they got to him.”

Voss was a leading contender in the race having won the class the weekend before in Constantine, Mich.

• Democratically speaking: When it was reported there were only 30 tickets remaining in the Democratic raffle, longtime race assistant Mike Brown told them the legendary Lyle Rawson would buy them out.

• Mother knows best: Kristi Ellison, the US Title Series President, beat out her son, Kevin, in the 125cc Hydro. Mom placed fifth; Kevin was 14th.

• Taking a seat: Howard Anderson, 73, of Edmonds, Wash. raced boats for 56 years, including stops at DePue since 1961. He is newly retired from racing and watched this year’s races from the shore, because, he said his wife, Penny, told him it was time.

He enjoyed his seat from the shore of Lake DePue, because, he said, it’s a lot less stressful than being out in the boat. But he still misses the competition, he said.

Though she talked her husband out of the boats, Penny Anderson continued to do her work out on the barge on the lake during this weekend’s race.

“How do you like that?” Howard said with a smile.

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