Parker Live News from the Parker Strip since 2009.
UPDATED 10/22 to add names of the deceased: Ethel Fisher and Walter Fouts.
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Two people are dead after a boat accident on the Parker Strip on Tuesday morning. It is the deadliest such incident in some time.
A 21-foot open bow jet boat with 6 occupants was traveling south on the river in front of Fox’s Resort & RV Park. Two occupants were sitting in the back, two were in the driver and passenger seat in the middle, and two were in the open bow seating at the front of the boat.
As the boat passed Fox’s, they decided to turn around, and at some point in the turn, the driver lost control.
“Unsure of the cause,” said La Paz County Sheriff’s Lieutenant of Boating Safety Donald Schlect. “But the driver may have lost steering or something. They hit a floating dock around 20 yards south of Fox’s bar, next to a launch ramp at the RV park.”
Buckskin Fire Department, La Paz County Sheriff’s Department and Arizona Fish & Game responded, but a female named Ethel Fisher sitting in the front died at the scene. A male passenger named Walter Fouts, sitting with her in the front, was taken to La Paz Regional Hospital, and while he was being loaded onto a helicopter also died.
The passengers were in their 70s and 80s, according to Schlect, residents of California who were staying at Echo Lodge.
“There was no sign of alcohol or other impairment involved. It was a straight-up collision with the floating dock.”
Schlect added that there was not a lot of external trauma, but internal injuries. The Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate the incident, which Schlect says is the first boating fatality the department has dealt with in quite some time.
However, boats running into docks on that stretch of the Colorado River is an issue, noted earlier this year when 3 separate boats ran into docks on the same weekend. Read about it HERE. The Sheriff’s Department Boating Division was speaking with the U.S. Coastguard earlier this year about the process of trying to establish the area as a no-wake zone.
Such a sad incident. Prayers for families and friends of the deceased and for all who were on the boat, witnessing such a tragedy. Thank you to all the firefighters and first responders for all they do.
Sonia Vasquez
John Saari
Our prayers with everyone involved. .
Sending prayers to all involved. ❤️
Carolyn Calzia
Claudia Marsh ????
Dee Hutchins Brianna Ashley Flanegan Jake Flanegan Brian Flanegan
Crystal Flanegan jeez
So sorry for everyone involved!! Stay safe out there
Carley Weller
Gary McCrummen
So tragic. ???? Prayers to everyone involved. Stay safe.
Natalie Miller Vesely saw this, aweful
Crystal Flanegan holly shit
Kerri Price-Vanderwalker they were staying at Echo lodge pet the article isn’t that where you were ?
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That’s sad. Maybe first day in a Jet?
Thats horrible. The water has reverse currents in front of Foxs. Gotta be carefull there
Max Paz sad
Annie Liles amen ????????
Sad for sure???? Shannon Roemer
Condolences to the families !! RIP.
Nancy Needham Arlene Lobatto Judy Knott …………….this is like 20 feet, or less, from where you guy’s were floating on the raft last week…………….
Cindy Rowe Zander
So sad ????
Wow Carol, think we were there after that. Crazy.
Denny Scales that is so sad. Prayers for the family???????????????? very glad we weren’t there when that happened!
Incredibly tragic. Prayers going out to all involved. ????????
Gary Gosliga
So very sad! God bless their souls and comfort their loved ones as they grieve.
Extremely sad for everyone involved ????????
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Definitely could ruin your whole day…
Johnny Lopez
Very sad . Prayers to all who was involved in the accident. ????????????
Toni Santangelo omg! So sad
Tragic…
Wow you never know. ????
Kellie Marsh yea I was reading about it the people who owned the boat were in their 70s
So sad….RIP.
LaDonna Reese… were you there when this happened?
Sad..
Nikki Hernandez Ware!!! So sad ????
Robyn Marin Holy cow! So sad.
Rest in peace fellow River folk.
Jeffrey saenz
Leslie Marshall Nehring so very sad
Sad. Prayers to the family’s and friends ❤❤❤????????????????
Cindy Colangelo-Leighton Tom’s parents are up at the river house
Karrie Scully Johnston????????
Szalonek Victoria oh man that’s awful ????
My prayers to the families involved, the responders and everyone that witnessed the tragedy. ❤️
Prayers to the families
So ????
Condolences to the families and loved ones. So sorry this happened.
Sincerest condolences ❤????Heartbreaking.
Lori Lightfoot tks
Amity N Mike LaBrie Joel Labrie
Kristy I hope it was no one you or your family knew. So sad.
Josh LaBrie we saw this yeaterday
Sad!
Alison Swinerd OMG!!!
Debra Vitali Yes, I heard the sirens and then later someone told me what happened. It’s so sad, we’re all praying for the rest of them.
Linda Case yea. Very sad but really not surprised…
Tammy Flavin We stay @ Emerald Cove
Natural selection!
Praying
Cheri DeVoe thats probably what they were doing with the dock. Now we know why the cops were there. So sad.
Shannon Gee no I heard it was seniors
Sad
Kerri Price-Vanderwalker LoL After I sent that I thought maybe it’s Emerald Cove
May they rest in peace. How unbelievably sad.
Mary Tomasello; Wayne Oem this is what you might have been talking about. So sad these accidents happen. Fox’s is one my old hang outs when I ran the Harbour Inn Motel.
☹️
So sad.
RIP ????
Terrible I was taking my BLS cpr/1st aide when the tones went out and I heard it on the radios at the fire dept
Prayers for all the survivors and the deceased’s families
Crystal H. Schneider Thank u????????
Very sad lost a friend
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Dave Johns. Indeed. Prayers for the families.
Always sad when something like this happens. It’s a tragic loss.
Prayers to the families
Lacey Deike Miller
Sending prayers for the family ????????????
Christie Sack
Kris Eisenberg Trecartin wow, very sad. ☹
Very sad
Judy Knott thinking of you and hoping you are well. Miss seeing everyone.
Rob Lancaster this was our neighbors friends that were meeting them at Fox’s but never made it.. May the rest in peace????????????
Kayleigh Kobielusz
Richard Gorham omg how scary ???? so sad ????
Judy Morgan I miss everyone too. Are you back home now? Hope you had a good summer.
Judy Knott yes back home for about a month. Good summer but very strange with COVID. Strange boss too. I saw a few relatives but from a distance. Brautiful and great hikes. Have you heard anything about our friends? The only one I have run into was Kris.
So sad Martie. Prayers to the families involved ????????
Prayers to there loved ones an family. A sad day all the way around for all us who live on this river an those who come to enjoy it. All accidents are a sad thing, they are just that accidents. I’ve seen enough of them both on the river an the 30 plus years with the highway dept most of which was maintaining hwy 62. I guess my point here is it was a very sad accident, that doesn’t mean we put a no wake zone on any spot on the river, as we wouldn’t put a put a 15 mph zone from desert center to Parker where there have been many more accidents than the river. God speed to those who passed an may there families somehow heal.
Tragic! Prayers for their family, so sad.
Jeff Jones
Prayers to the families..✝️????
Scary and super sad.
Don, your spot on.I Stopped using desert center 30 yrs ago. Accidents happen daily. Seems more these days while boating. 4 this year in same area. Normally when boats pass foxes thay accelerate to show off. Glad that’s not the case this time
That is scary!
Look familiar territory Gord and Jan
So sad. Those boats go so fast on the river.
So sad ….. prayers for all ????????
Tom Reilly
Yes so sad Andrea saw it happen and linda saw some of it. Prayers to the families ????????
Always sad when people die and get hurt while just trying to have fun.