In a heart-wrenching incident at Lake Pleasant in Arizona, a 6-year-old girl lost her life in what authorities are describing as a “tragic accident.” The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office reported that the young girl was accidentally struck by a boat propeller while on a wakeboard boat outing with two families, totaling 12 people, on Friday morning.
According to witnesses at the scene, the group had been enjoying a day on the lake since 7 a.m. The child’s mother was operating the boat when she began to drive without realizing that her daughter had somehow entered the water. At 11 a.m., a call was made to the police by one of the families, informing them of the terrible incident.
The tweet below verifies the news:
A 6-year-old girl has died after being struck by her family’s boat. She was found by her father. The mother was operating the boat. https://t.co/8tIpIy5A5o
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 31, 2023
The child’s father, who was in the water holding onto a wakeboard, spotted an unidentified person in the water and rushed to their aid. To their immense horror, they soon discovered that the person in the water was their own daughter, who had suffered a leg amputation due to the boat’s propeller.
Other boaters nearby came to the family’s assistance, helping transport the injured child to the lake’s marina, where first responders rendered immediate aid. Despite their efforts, the little girl was tragically pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Maricopa Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez addressed the incident, describing it as a “tragic accident” with possible contributing factors being the number of people on the boat. He emphasized that impairment does not appear to have played a role in the tragedy, and preliminary investigations revealed that the boat was equipped with all necessary safety gear, including life jackets and fire extinguishers.
Enriquez added that the owners of the boat were experienced boaters, and initial interviews suggest that the group may have “lost track of who was on the boat and who was not on the boat” due to their activities involving swimming and wakeboarding.
Lake Pleasant Regional Park, located northwest of Phoenix, is a popular outdoor recreation destination known for water sports like wakeboarding, boating, and kayaking.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident to gain a comprehensive understanding of the events leading to the tragic loss of the young girl’s life. As the community mourns this devastating accident, the incident serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of water safety and vigilance while enjoying recreational activities on the water.
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