A 6-year-old girl has died in a tragic accident in which she was accidentally struck by a boat that was being steered by her mother, according to NBC News.
The incident occurred at Arizona’s Lake Pleasant around 11 a.m. on Friday when the girl was hit on the leg by a boat propeller as the watercraft was captained by her mother, who was reportedly unaware that the child had entered the water.
“Witnesses at the scene confirmed that the child’s mother was operating the boat when she began to drive and, unbeknownst to the family, the child had somehow entered the water,” the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “The father of the child was in the water holding onto a wakeboard when he noticed someone in the water and swam to the child. He and the mother quickly realized their daughter was in the water and had suffered a leg amputation from the boat’s propeller.”
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According to the sheriff’s office, a group of two families comprised of 12 people had been on a boat since 7 a.m. at Paul’s Hideaway on Lake Pleasant. The parents realized their child was in the water and that her leg had been amputated by the boat’s propeller before calling 911.
“Our hearts go out to the family dealing with this tragic situation,” said Sergeant Joaquin Enriquez. “It’s our information right now that the owners of the boat are experienced boaters, once again leading us to believe at this point in the investigation that this is absolutely a tragic accident.”
The girl, who has not yet been named, had been transported to a local hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead.
“We do understand that what may have led to this was maybe they lost track of who was on the boat and who was not on the boat,” Sergeant Enriquez said. “Is it anymore any different from you know, having a party at a house and losing track of your kids?”
The sheriff’s office added, “The incident remains under investigation and impairment does not appear to be a factor as MCSO detectives continue to investigate.”
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Source: HIS Education