OGDEN -- Attorney Greg Skordas got a call over the weekend that he would be representing two men involved in the death of a swimmer at Pineview Reservoir.
Skordas is now the lawyer for two of three men the Weber County Sheriff's Office has identified as being on the boat that struck the swimmer and led to her death Aug. 7.
He described the death of Ogden resident Esther Fujimoto, 49, as a "very unfortunate accident."
"In my opinion, I don't believe there was a crime committed here by anyone," he said.
The sheriff's office has impounded a boat believed to have been involved in Fujimoto's death. She died while swimming with her sister in the Spring Creek Cove area of Pineview Reservoir on the evening of Aug. 7.
A resident in the area called 911 and rowed out to help Fujimoto after she was struck. The resident managed to keep Fujimoto's head above water until help arrived, but the swimmer died at the scene.
Witnesses said someone in the 20-foot blue-and-white boat spoke with Fujimoto after she was struck and that the boat fled the scene.
Fujimoto suffered traumatic injuries that were consistent with those of someone who had been hit by a boat, said Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Lowther.
"We have the boat in our possession that we believe was involved in the incident," he said.
Several tips led investigators to the boat they believe was involved, Lowther said, adding that none of the tips came from the suspects.
The sheriff's office will keep the boat, which was seized with a warrant, pending completion of the investigation, Lowther said, and will consider forensic testing.
No arrests have been made, but the sheriff's office is interviewing one individual from the boat and is still looking for more potential witnesses.
The case is still under investigation.
"We believe there are still people in our community that may have more information on the case," Lowther said.
Skordas said he and his clients intend to talk to the sheriff's office to help with its investigation.
Fujimoto worked as a molecular biologist and a senior lab specialist in the University of Utah's Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy.
She was doing research on the development of the central nervous system. She was seeking a cure for cerebral palsy and was also part of a research team that identified a breast cancer gene.
Fujimoto swam daily in Pineview Reservoir during the summer and once swam for 100 consecutive days.
Lowther encourages anyone who might have been in the area at the time of the accident to call the sheriff's office at 801-778-6602.
Standard-Examiner reporter Michael McFall contributed to this article.
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