PEORIA, Arizona — A 6-year-old child was killed by a boat on Lake Pleasant Friday morning, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Lawmakers arrived at the lake around 11 a.m. after receiving a report of the boating accident. The MCSO said prior information said a child had been hit by the boat’s propeller and taken to hospital. The girl died from her injuries, according to the MCSO.
Detectives are at the scene investigating the incident and inspecting the boat.
An MCSO spokesperson said the incident appeared to be a “tragic accident” and disability did not appear to be a contributing factor.
The girl was part of a group that included two families boating on the lake all morning. MCSO investigators interviewed the family and believe they lost track of who was on the boat and who was in the water.
The child was wearing a life jacket when he was shot, the MCSO said. A relative of the child was operating the boat at the time of the collision.
This is a work in progress story and will be published as more information becomes available.
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What is Valley?:
Locals refer to metropolitan Phoenix as “The Valley.” It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
Besides Phoenix, the Valley is made up of various major cities, including:
- Mesa
- chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- glendale
- surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- goodyear
- buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or the “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
According to the 2020 US Census, the total population of the cities of Valley is 4,845,832. This makes him the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country, behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?:
According to the 2020 Census, Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States with a population of 4,485,414.
The county contains approximately 63% of Arizona’s population and covers an area of 9,224 square miles. This makes the county larger than her seven US states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the United States is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks, including hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county seat is in Phoenix, the state capital, and the fifth most populous city in the United States according to the Census.
