Girl, 11, dies after lifeguard training accident in Huntington Beach

An 11-year-old girl has died after a boating accident during a junior lifeguard training exercise in Huntington Beach.

Alyssa Squirrell was part of a group of junior lifeguards Tuesday afternoon that was conducting a routine training exercise known as a "speed drop," in which they drop into the water off a moving rescue boat, said Laurie Payne, spokeswoman for the city of Huntington Beach.

The ocean was choppy, Payne said, and when the boat circled around to pick up the swimmers, its propellers struck Squirrell. She was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center and later died.

The accident is being reviewed by the Orange County sheriff's Harbor Patrol. Payne said it was the first fatal accident since the junior lifeguard program's inception in 1964.

-- My-Thuan Tran

See video report at KTLA.com

Photo credit: KTLA

Comments

[Jennifer]

That is so very sad. My heart goes out to her family and the children that witnessed this. They are in my prayers.

[Carol Anne]

Eleven seems awfully young for such a perilous pursuit.

[Brian Davis]

This is a terrible tragedy... I was a Huntington Beach City Junior Lifeguard growing up and a City Lifeguard for 6 years through college and law school. The program is very safe and the men and women looking after the children are the best. This rips my heart out for all involved.

[Bill]

This is a heart wrenching story, I am so sorry for the family of the Jr.Lifeguard.
I hope they continue training these kids who each some day may save lives in honor of their fallen friend.
These programs should consider using boats with jet drives when working with students/kids.

[LinuxForMe]

My heart goes out to Alyssa's family and friends. What a horrific way to die.

[Michael]

The Skipper driving the boat is ultimately responsible. When you have divers or swimers in the water its critical to have a spotter supporting the skipper to assure the safety of all involved. These "Baywatch Type" 29ft. Crystaliners are powerful and turn on a dime. Its easy to wrap lobster traps and unfortunatley in this case, an 11 year-old girl in the props. It seems additional seamanship and boat handling training is needed for crews running these boats prior to taking on the important task of training our next generation of lifeguards.
Training is an even greater imperative for private Skippers- who are responsible for most accidents of this type.

Heartfelt condolences to the Family of the victim and also to the Skipper and his/her family for this tragic accident. Let's all stay safe out there on the water- and reduce the number of rescues our Lifeguards have this summer.

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!

[El Guapo]

RIP, Alyssa.

[KingoftheDesert]

What a shame. The parents should know that the boat would have hurt or killed anyone .. even adults .. who got too close to the propeller, so this is not a case of a child dying only because she was so outgoing and adventurous. It was simply a pilot error and a terrible accident. I feel sorry for the boat captain and the other kids in the water too. Nobody will get over this anytime soon, so stick together and talk about it.

[KingoftheDesert]

In my opinion, any boater should be erring on the side of safety and should have pulled up to an area 30 or 40 feet from the swimmers. Let them swim to you ... don't get so close just to try to save them a few swimstrokes. Let them swim to you. Much safer.

[KingoftheDesert]

The parents should know that any person, not just a child, was at risk when the boat propellers came too close. So this is not the fault of a child who over-reached her own capabilities. Mainly, it seems to me the boat pilot did not see her. Perhaps she was under water when he arrived.
It is a shame she died early but I think she is a girl who got a lot of living out of her short time among us.

[Joy Campisi]

My heart goes out to the family of Alyssa and also to the boat captain. This is a tragic accident and has really hit home for me. This is my 12 year old twins 3rd year participating in the HB Junior Guard Program which is an outstanding program, my kids have learned alot about ocean safety. I feel very comfortable with them in the ocean by themselves now. It's very sad to loose one of our Junior Guards in such a tragic accident. My prayers and thoughts are with the family.

[Joy Campisi]

My heart goes out to the family of Alyssa and also to the boat captain. This was a tragic accident that really hit home with me. This is my 12 year old twins 4th year participating in the HB junior lifeguard program, which is an exceptional summer program for our kids. My kids have learned a lot about ocean safety and thank god completed several speed drops safely. I feel extremely comfortable with my kids going in the ocean by themselves. It's very sad that we have lost one of our Junior Guards, my thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.

[Ulrich Lange]

It was said that the skipper was very experienced. But maybe that was the problem: Since it was an exercise they had done hundreds of times, they didn't watch out for each individual swimmer in the water enough. The water being choppy is a bs excuse. If you go into choppy water for this exercise, you can't complain that the water was too choppy. It was clearly the fault of the guy steering the boat. Kids no longer being safe with the lifeguards - a scary thought.

[Rick]

I have 2 sons that have completed JGs. One is still in it. It is a fantastic program. I wish they had it when I was a kid. I feel so bad for those parents who were doing the right thing to enrole their daughter in this programs that have taught her how to survive in the surf. I hope procedures are changed in what the kids call "Baywatch" so that they are no longer in danger. My 13 year old tells me that L A County does it differently in that they jump off the idling boat and swim into the beach. So, there is no chance of this happening here.

[Rose Luna]

This was a horrific accident and my heart and prayers go out both to the family of Alyssa and to the driver of the boat, it's heartbreaking and no one should ever lose a child, I myself have lost 2. I pray for both family's as this is going to be with them forever. I pray that they may find comfort in our Lord and know that she is forever at peace and with our Savior in Heaven and that she will always be watching over you. I am sure she will want everyone to celebrate her life and as long as we live she will be loved and remembered. God Bless You all and know that our Lord is holding you through this.

[independentexoticgoddess]

First off, i would like to say that my heart goes out to alyssa and her family. second off, i think speed drops are amazing but this is such a unfortunate accident. please dont blame the boat driver. water conditions changes fast and the water wasnt choppy when they first started the exercise. and by the way the kids do swim up to the boat, the boat driver was on his way to pick up the kids for a second round, but the kids were scattered everywhere. Alyssa, RIP> and God bless you.

[SafeBoater]

This is a sad tragedy and my heart goes out to the little girl and her family. Even the most experienced people sometimes make mistakes while operating their boats, so it’s extremely important to make safety a top priority by taking a boating safety course or learning water safety tips from http://www.BoatResponsibly.com.

[skip allen]

I have a granddaughter in this program if we lost her I would die myself. They need to stop this exercise immediately with the children who are that young. They have plenty of time to do this pickup when they are older. we can't afford to lose one more child.

[bruce bacon]

If the recruits must swim extra strokes to stay clear of the boat this is common. The boat needs to be fitted with a propeller guard, which could be removed at the end of the exercise; if such an exercise is necessary at all.
Recently after a water skiing trip I was aware of how many safety procedures occur. When the boat was turned around to p/u a skier the pilot was always in contact with skier. Also the craft was never close. When picking up a skier the motor was shut off. I really question the lack of common sense when something like this happens, honestly I think it could be prevented.