Six-year-old girl dies in tragic propeller accident on Arizona boat trip

Law enforcement officers do not believe impairment played a part in the fatal accident

A six-year-old girl died in Arizona after being struck by a boat propeller.

A pair of families — 12 people in total — were boating on Lake Pleasant on Friday, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Around 11am, a member of one of the families called 911 to report that a young girl had been hit by one of the boat's propellers.

MSCO Sgt Joaquin Enriquez said during a press briefing that six adults and six children were present on the boat. He said around 11am the child's mother accelerated the boat to pull another family member who was wakeboarding. The mother did not realise her child was still in the water and ran her over with the boat, at which time the child was hit with the propeller, according to AZ Family.

"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 statement. "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 child's parents found her floating in the water. Her leg had been cut off by the boat's propeller, according to the sheriff's office.

Due to poor cell reception at the lake the family was not able to call emergency services immediately and sought help from other boaters to dial 911.

The child was taken to the lake's marine where she received treatment from first responders before being transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The sheriff's office said the situation remains under investigation, noting that "impairment does not appear to be a factor as MSCO detectives continue to investigate."

Mr Enriquez said the sheriff's department is treating the incident as a tragic accident. After a preliminary investigation deputies found that the boats were properly equipped with safety gear like life jackets and fire extinguishers, and noted that the owners of the boat were experienced operators who live near the lake.