Memorial Day weekend was marred by the death of a 7-year-old girl after she was hit by a boat on Sunday afternoon, May 29, at Buckskin Mountain State Park, north of Parker. She was swimming in the Colorado River just five feet from the shore. Her boat also allegedly hit the shoreline.

According to published reports, the girl was with her grandparents at the time. She was taken to La Paz Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The boat driver, Arthur Garcia, 37, of Indio, California, was arrested by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy. Duce Minor, La Paz County District 2 supervisor, said jurisdiction over the river, a federal waterway, is shared, and he understands that the San Bernardino boat is the closest to responding to the incident. was doing.

The Minor’s District includes the Parker Strip where the accident occurred.

Galika was charged with operating under the influence, causing death or bodily injury and a felony. He was released on his $200,000 bail on May 31st. As of Friday, June 3, he has no court dates scheduled, according to the Inmate Locator on the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s website.

La Paz County Sheriff Will Ponce said incidents of this type are occurring more frequently on Arizona waterways. He said it was because of more boats and inexperienced boaters out there, along with a statewide lack of funding for the problem.

“Many people are new to water sports and have little or no training to operate these types of watercraft, which only exacerbates the safety hazards seen on the waterways.” Ponce told Pioneer.

Add to this a lack of funding for policing ships and a general decline in funding for law enforcement, resulting in what Ponce called a “huge void”. Born.

“We have staffed the river throughout the weekend and conducted additional patrols on land,” Ponce said. “On these very busy holiday weekends, normal staffing levels are pushed to the limit, requiring us to do more with less.”

Ponce said he appreciates the support of other groups, including San Bernardino County in California and Mojave and Yuma Counties in Arizona. He said he would not be able to keep staff on weekends.

Deanna Pfleger, District 4 Wildlife Manager for the Arizona Department of Game and Fish, said anecdotally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, more people were buying boats as a way to get out and play. We said we had proof, but we didn’t have hard statistics on boat sales. She said the boat’s registration number confirms there are more boats on state waterways.

“There were 73,046 vessels registered in Arizona in 2019 and 143,061 in 2020 (almost double),” she said. “The number of registrations last year (2021) was relatively high at 142,845.”

Mr Pfleger said Game & Fish is the agency responsible for ship registration, boat safety education and ship enforcement training.

All of the officials Pioneer spoke to agreed that it was essential for sailors to know the laws and regulations of the ship, to consider their own safety and the safety of others, and not to consume alcohol while on board. Did.

“Advice from us Any Boaters start by completing a basic boat safety course,” said Pfleger. “Arizona offers both in-person classes and online courses that can be completed in one day. For information, see the following URL: https://www.azgfd.com/education/boating/”

“It should be obvious, but don’t drink and drive, and you must have a designated driver who is familiar with the boat,” added Pfleger. “And finally, wear an approved life jacket.”

“We ask that you always wear appropriate safety equipment and think about your own safety and the safety of others when engaging in recreational activities on the waterways,” Ponce said.

“The Parker Strip is a popular and wonderful area to live and vacation,” Minor said. “Especially on busy weekends, it is imperative that vessel operators are familiar and proficient in operating vessels while obeying all laws of the waterways. Do not hold.”

The minor said he wanted to thank the first responders who tried to save the life of the girl who died in the accident.

“The first responder’s job is often difficult, but it’s never more difficult than when dealing with innocent children,” he said.