Lake Pleasant sees another fatal incident for the fourth week in a row
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - For the fourth weekend in a row, Lake Pleasant has seen deadly incidents stemming from drowning or injuries, says the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on May 15.
At around 5 p.m., deputies responded to reports of a possible drowning near Sunset Ridge at Lake Pleasant. They believe an 18-year-old man was swimming, went underwater and never came back up.
Investigators say the victim's body was recovered the same night and is identified as 18-year-old, Riley Klasinski.
No further information about this incident is available.
Most recent deadly incidents at Lake Pleasant
This incident marks the fourth incident Lake Pleasant has seen four weeks in a row.
Twenty-year-old Neria Aranbayev was found on the night of April 24, about 21 feet below the surface of Lake Pleasant. On May 1, an unidentified man's body was found 25-feet underwater near Jet Ski Point.
In the latest incident prior to this one, an 83-year-old woman was thrown from a boat on May 8 and died. Her name was Rosario Benitez.
Why life vests play the most important role
"They always have to have their life jackets on …," said Linda Reely, a boater at Lake Pleasant.
When it comes to lake safety, first responders say life vests are key for people and pets.
"If they’re wearing it correctly, it would be nearly impossible to drown," explained Peoria Fire and Medical Department Capt. Mark Barbee.
He says the one thing each person who died in the last four fatal incidents had in common was "none of them had personal flotation devices on."
Reely says she's noticed boaters aren't being careful enough on the lake.
"People aren’t really that careful. They don’t take it serious. A lot of times they drink and they don’t take the fact that this is a deep lake as a potential hazard," she said.
The Peoria Fire and Medical Department has four firefighters stationed at the lake, who are also rescue swimmer boat operators.
"So what happens, the people that go under, they’re at waist-deep water, but they might go a short distance and get in 50 feet of water. So they’ll be treading water. At this time of year, it’s 70 degrees or less in the water. It only takes 70 degrees to put someone into hypothermia. Then they’re treading water and what happens is people cramp, and then they give up," Barbee said.