LE CLAIRE, Iowa — Jury selection began at 9 a.m. Monday, April 11 in the fatal Mississippi River boating collision that left two dead in August 2020.
James Thiel Sr., 45, of Pleasant Valley faces two counts of felony involuntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter for the collision.
On Sunday, August 16, 2020, two boats collided on the Mississippi River near LeClaire, killing Craig Verbeke, 61, and Anita Pinc, 52, and injuring several others on the two boats.
Verbeke and Pinc were engaged, according to social media posts made by the family, and it was Thiel Truck Center's 25-foot 2007 Triton that collided with the couple's 19-foot 1993 Bayliner.
According to wrongful death lawsuits filed by the families of Verbeke and Pinc, Thiel's boat was occupied by 13 people at the time of the crash, despite the boat's maximum capacity of 12.
Before the crash, Thiel was helping his son, a minor, operate the boat and was racing a third boat operated by Ethan Mahler, the lawsuits said, citing Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports of the incident. Witnesses recalled Thiel and Mahler's boats traveling at excessive speeds, crossing each other's paths, driving recklessly and - at one point - almost T-boning each other.
Thiel's boat, traveling at an excessive speed, hit the back left side of the couple's boat. A witness recalled Thiel being ejected from his boat in the collision and landing in the back of the Bayliner.
Pinc and the family dog also on board died at the scene of the crash. Verbeke was hospitalized and died three days later due to his injuries, according to court documents.
A DNR report concluded the contributing factors to the crash were excessive speed, carelessness, improper lookout, operator inexperience, rules of road violation, failure to yield and alcohol use.
On Monday at the Scott County Courthouse, potential jurors were questioned about their prior knowledge of the case, defendant and all witnesses that would testify throughout the trial.
The jury trial is expected to continue through April 20, Judge Patrick McElyea said in court Monday.
Read the full petitions in the wrongful death lawsuits here:
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