A tragic incident unfolded on Sunday at a state park in Utah, resulting in the death of a 3-year-old boy. The young boy, Walter Greer from Salt Lake City, was on a family outing at the Echo State Park reservoir when he accidentally fell from a boat and was hit by its propeller, according to the state parks department.
The incident occurred just before 4:45 p.m. when Walter, who was enjoying a day of water skiing with his family, fell overboard. The propeller at the rear of the boat struck him immediately after he fell into the water, Utah park rangers reported. The impact was fatal, and Walter was pronounced dead once the rangers retrieved him from the water.
The sudden and horrifying incident has left Walter’s family and friends in deep sorrow. “Walter was a happy, rambunctious three-year-old with a big personality,” his aunt, Allison Meakin, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up for the family. “He loved Spiderman, trucks, boots, and trains and was excited to start preschool.”
On the day of the accident, Walter’s parents, Alex and Doug, his two sisters, and several friends were present on the boat. They all witnessed the tragic event unfold. The group had been on a lake board-style boat, enjoying a day of water skiing when the accident happened.
While the incident is still under investigation, park rangers do not suspect any foul play. They believe it was a tragic accident. It was confirmed that no one on the boat was under the influence of any substances, and Walter was wearing a lifejacket at the time of the accident.
This incident adds to a recent series of propeller-related accidents. Just last week, a New York book publishing executive, Adrienne Vaughan, was killed during a family vacation on the Amalfi Coast when she collided with the propeller of a speeding boat her family had rented. In another incident a week earlier, a 6-year-old girl from Arizona died when her mother accidentally ran her over with a boat, severing her leg with the propeller.