A 6-year-old girl died in Arizona in a horrific boating accident Friday after her mother accidentally struck the child with a boat propeller on Friday, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
A group of 12 people made up of two families were on a boat since 7 a.m. on Lake Pleasant. At 11 a.m. one of the families called 911 to report their young daughter had been hit by the boat’s propeller.
"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 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."
The parents realized their child was in the water and that her leg had been amputated by the boat’s propeller, according to the sheriff's office.
The 6-year-old was taken to the lake's marina by her family where first responders rendered aid and transported her to a nearby hospital. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"The incident remains under investigation and impairment does not appear to be a factor as MCSO detectives continue to investigate," the sheriff's office said.
