Saguaro Lake, AZ - Girl severed foot

(scottnaz) · (scottnaz) **Join Date: Feb 2008** 07-27-2008, 7:30 PM

Another vague news story, but scary nonetheless. Anyone from the Arizona crew know any more details?

"11-year-old's foot severed in boating accident

by Kelly McGrath - Jul. 25, 2008 12:36 PM
The Arizona Republic

An 11-year-old girl's foot was severed Friday as a result of a boating accident on Saguaro Lake after a water ski tow rope became wrapped around her ankle.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the girl was boating with her family when the accident happened around 9:30 a.m. Her mother contacted MCSO, and deputies and Southwest Ambulance responded.

She was flown to a Valley trauma center. Officials had no immediate information if the foot was recovered, but said her injuries did not appear to be life threatening."

(gbgonzal138) · (gbgonzal138) **Join Date: Oct 2004** 07-28-2008, 5:01 PM

Yikes, haven't heard about that one yet.

(hawk7) · (hawk7) **Join Date: Apr 2007** 07-28-2008, 5:09 PM

the rope severed her foot? Theres gotta be more to it than that right? maybe one end was attached to something stationary?

(wakeandsnow27) · (wakeandsnow27) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 07-29-2008, 1:37 PM

"maybe one end was attached to something stationary?"

Or non stationary, like a boat doing 30.
AZ local, hadnt heard of it.

(rodmcinnis) · (rodmcinnis) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 07-29-2008, 5:37 PM

I have seen this sort of thing happen from anchor lines. Standing in the coils of rope, line tightens up, then you have a couple thousand pounds of boat pulling on a line wrapped around an ankle. Not good.

I can see how a ski rope would end up that way but I have a hard time understanding how enough of a pull was on it to sever a leg. I just can't imagin the driver "hitting it" when the rope isn't all the way out.

Rod

(wakeboardertj) · (wakeboardertj) **Join Date: May 2005** 07-29-2008, 5:51 PM

heard a similar story about a little girl getting her arm ripped off while kneeboarding, i think it was a combo of slack and tangle and then daddy gunned it.

(quick) · (quick) **Join Date: Jul 2008** 07-29-2008, 6:15 PM

So did they find the foot? That's my lake.....I didn't hear anything about this!?!

(scottnaz) · (scottnaz) **Join Date: Feb 2008** 07-29-2008, 7:22 PM

I haven't heard or read anything further about this vague news story. It's amazing to me how the news can post stories like this with such minor details. IMO, it does nothing but frighten people about boating. For all we know, daddy was 12 beers deep (@ 9:00 am), and/or uneducated about how to operate a boat.

If nothing else, it's a reminder to us all to take an extra moment and pay attention to what we're doing.

(gobigorgohome) · (gobigorgohome) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 07-30-2008, 7:21 AM

Quote: I just can't imagin the driver "hitting it" when the rope isn't all the way out.

Considering how inaccurate these sort of reports can be it's nout unfeasible that she was tubing. Quite often the driver will pull away at speed when there's still slack in the line so it yanks the tuber. Also I have seen them driving in the opposite direction to start so the tube does a really quick 180 - that could explain slack in the line.

(behindtheboat) · (behindtheboat) **Join Date: Aug 2006** 07-30-2008, 8:38 AM

An old friend of mine was holding the rope as it was going out and when it tightened it knotted around his thumb. He now has 1 and a 1/4 thumbs.