On July 28, 2023, at approximately 1100 hours, a fatal boating incident occurred in an area known as 1702 Rock inside the Lake Pleasant Regional Park. 

At 1100 hours, the Maricopa County Sheriff''s Office received an emergency call for service in reference to a child who was struck by a watercraft. During the call with MCSO dispatch, occupants of the watercraft were able to get the child on board their watercraft headed to Pleasant Harbor Marina. 

MCSO Lake Patrol deputies and Peoria Fire Department were dispatched to the Pleasant Harbor Marina fuel docks. Upon arrival, Peoria Fire Department began performing life saving measures on 6-year-old. Victim sustained multiple lacerations throughout her entire body and a complete amputation of her right leg. Victim was transported by Peoria Fire Department to Honor Health Deer Valley where she was pronounced deceased.

Interviews were conducted with all adults on the watercraft at the time of the incident. In summary of the interviews, a group of six adults and six children first got on the water around 0700 hours and were wake surfing. Once individuals got hot, they would stop and swim for a little bit, they would then start wake boarding again. 

Just prior to the incident, everyone was swimming around the watercraft. The operator believed everyone was on board except for subject1 who was on a wake board behind the watercraft. 

Operator began to propel the vessel forward and some people heard something strike the watercraft. As the boat continued in a forward momentum, Subject1 noticed a life jacket come out from underneath the watercraft. Subject1 let go of the wake boarding rope and began to swim over and realized it was his daughter Victim. Operator immediately turned the watercraft around and once the watercraft was stopped entered the water to help recover Victim.
 
Once back on the boat, Subject1 took over operation of the vessel and went to Pleasant Harbor Marina. 

Victim was wearing a Type III PFD which was a child size personal flotation device. The PFD had U.S. Coast Guard Approval Number: 160.064/4689/0. 

A Coast Guard Safety Inspection was conducted on the watercraft, a 2024 Centurion RI230. All required safety items were on board the watercraft. All children were wearing their personal flotation devices at the time of the incident. 

It is believed that Operator had approximately four years of watercraft operating experience.

LAKE PLEASANT
Peoria, AZ                    