6-Year-Old Girl Dead In Lake Pleasant Boating Accident

PHOENIX, AZ —A 6-year-old girl died Friday after her mother accidentally struck her with a boat propeller on Lake Pleasant, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Patch Monday morning.

A group of 12 people made up of two different families had been out on the lake for four hours when the tragedy occurred at 11 a.m., officials said.

"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," according to officials. "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."

After realizing that their little girl's leg was amputated by the propellor, the couple took her to the marina, where Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies and fire personnel immediately began rendering aid, officials said.

She was then taken to a nearby hospital, where she died, according to officials.

All 12 occupants on the boat were wearing life vests at the time of the incident, officials said.

The accident is under investigation but "impairment does not appear to be a factor," according to officials.

According to FOX10, the accident happened in a cove called Paul's Hideaway, which is located in the northern part of the lake.

Lake Pleasant is located an hour north of Phoenix. It is the largest lake in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area.