Fatal accident at Martinez

[ULTRA28]

Saturday a boat hit two girls on a jet ski just North of Martinez. From what I've heard a 13 year old boy was driving the boat that killed one girl. the other girl lost her leg. The girl that died would have been a Senior at El Capitan this year. :(

[Scream]

Any accident on the water is completely unfortunate, but when it involves children...
All involved, from the parents and family of the disceased, the injured PWC'er and her family, and the boy driving the boat, need our thoughts and well wishes.
Of course questions come to mind, the first of which would be, why would a 13 yo child be driving a boat? and where were the parents? I hope he wasn't driving it unsupervised... What were the circumstances surrounding this trajedy?...
The word "fatal" or "fatality" has been used too many times on this board in the past couple of months...
Scream

[Ducatista]

Sad news........sorry to hear it.:(

[boatnam2]

the one and only reason i dont buy a seadoo is i couldnt forgive myself if one of our children got hurt or worse killed on one.i see it all day long in parker little girls and little boys riding and i always say the same thing to myself,i hope they dont get killed today.

[Lightning]

Thar is terrible, my thoughts and prayers out to the families.

[Petrofied]

Sad news, I heard about it Sun. A.M. We were going to go to El Cap for a test and tune session with a good friend. He canceled. He Told me" he's done Sell my boat." The girls were good friends of his and I think in his church group. He was so upset............It upset me. Then the phone started ringing off the hook. All the Yuma guys called ( Still in shock. ) They told me they helped the girls and that the chopper would'nt land on the sandbar because it was to soft. They were freaked out over the time it took to get them loaded up and transported. It's hard to beleive how many people are affected. I also was told it was the girls first trip! Our hearts go out to all involved. :(
MR.P.

[rposton1]

Hmmm not sure if she died. It happened at our sandbar on Saturday, One lady lost a leg the other had a bad compound fracture they took them to fishers landing and at that time they were both in stable condition....Rob

[Debbolas]

That is so sad:(
Our prayers are with them......

[Scream]

Originally posted by rposton1
Hmmm not sure if she died. It happened at our sandbar on Saturday, One lady lost a leg the other had a bad compound fracture they took them to fishers landing and at that time they were both in stable condition....Rob
I hope you're right.

[Lightning]

Here's the article in the paper
http://yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_12393.shtml

[KACHINA KEN]

2 major accidents in a weekend, this really sucks:confused: :mad: :confused:

[Mrs. Psycho Squid]

Originally posted by rposton1
Hmmm not sure if she died. It happened at our sandbar on Saturday, One lady lost a leg the other had a bad compound fracture they took them to fishers landing and at that time they were both in stable condition....Rob
Unfortunatley the 17 year old (she had the compound leg fracture) died at the hospital Saturday night. Very sad.....

[rposton1]

Originally posted by Mrs. Petrofied
Unfortunatley the 17 year old (she had the compound leg fracture) died at the hospital Saturday night. Very sad.....
That is very sad!:frown: :frown:

[GrapeApe]

My Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Girls and there Families...
*** Grape Ape ***

[HavasuDreamin']

Unfrickin believable. The colorado river waters are becoming a grave for to many young people.
When will it stop?
My condolences to the families involved.
:( :(

[Lightning]

Father lauds those who tried to save his daughter
BY JEFFREY GAUTREAUX, STAFF WRITER - YUMA DAILY SUN
Aug 3, 2004
The father of a 17-year-old California girl who died of injuries suffered in a boating accident on the Colorado River on Saturday wanted to thank those who worked to save her.
Melissa Sajtar, of Lakeside, Calif., sustained fatal injuries when the personal watercraft she was riding collided with a boat near Zoo Island on the Colorado River.
Melissa's father, Dan Sajtar, profusely commended the rescue personnel, hospital staff and those at the scene.
"I'm very impressed with the people of Yuma," he said.
Melissa and her mother, Carra Sajtar, were at the river as part of a group of mothers and daughters who were having a "girls' weekend out."
According to Dan Sajtar, around 2 p.m., Melissa was a passenger on the watercraft that was being driven by Cindy Erickson, 43, of Escondido, Calif.
Sajtar said the craft was riding beside a boat where the channel narrowed. Another boat came from the other direction, necessitating evasive action.
Sajtar said both the personal watercraft and the oncoming boat swerved the same way and collided.
"Both drivers thought the same thing," Sajtar said.
Melissa sustained internal injuries and a compound fracture of her leg. She was transported by helicopter to Yuma Regional Medical Center.
Sajtar said Melissa was coherent and speaking on the flight to the hospital, but her internal bleeding would not stop.
She was kept on life support until she died at 11:55 p.m.
Erickson was severely injured as well, losing her left leg below the knee. She was taken by ambulance to YRMC.
Sgt. Mark McNay of the Imperial County Sheriff's Office said his department was still investigating the accident. He said numerous witnesses were being interviewed.
"It will take some time. There's a lot of pieces to the puzzle," he said.
He did not know what speeds the watercraft were traveling.
Sajtar said his daughter's positivity found its way to everyone around her.
"She was very infectious," Sajtar said. "Anybody she came in contact with loved her."
Melissa was going to be a senior at El Capitan High School in Lakeside. She was an A-student, captain of the cheer squad and president of her class, Sajtar said.
Sajtar wanted to thank the Imperial County boat patrol, the emergency medical technicians and the chaplain staff and doctors at YRMC.
"They were fast getting them out of there," he said.
McNay said deputies from ICSO were on the water at the time of the accident, and that they responded immediately when they received the call.
"We have no ill feelings toward anyone," Sajtar said. "It was just an unfortunate accident."
Sajtar said the driver of the boat, whose name he did not know, repeatedly called the hospital Saturday night to try to get updates on the condition of the women.
A hospital spokeswoman said Erickson was in stable condition Monday.
Sajtar said many people involved with the accident were wracked with guilt, but there is no reason for blame.
"I believe everybody did as much as they possibly could," he said.
A fund has been set up in Melissa's name with an out-of-area bank. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday in Lakeside.

[Huckleberry]

:( :( :(