Two dead after a boat ran into a dock near Fox’s

UPDATED 10/22 to add names of the deceased: Ethel Fisher and Walter Fouts.

Two people are dead after a boat accident on the Parker Strip on Tuesday morning. It is the deadliest such incident in some time.

A 21-foot open bow jet boat with 6 occupants was traveling south on the river in front of Fox’s Resort & RV Park. Two occupants were sitting in the back, two were in the driver and passenger seat in the middle, and two were in the open bow seating at the front of the boat.

As the boat passed Fox’s, they decided to turn around, and at some point in the turn, the driver lost control.

“Unsure of the cause,” said La Paz County Sheriff’s Lieutenant of Boating Safety Donald Schlect. “But the driver may have lost steering or something. They hit a floating dock around 20 yards south of Fox’s bar, next to a launch ramp at the RV park.”

Buckskin Fire Department, La Paz County Sheriff’s Department and Arizona Fish & Game responded, but a female named Ethel Fisher sitting in the front died at the scene. A male passenger named Walter Fouts, sitting with her in the front, was taken to La Paz Regional Hospital, and while he was being loaded onto a helicopter also died.

The passengers were in their 70s and 80s, according to Schlect, residents of California who were staying at Echo Lodge.

“There was no sign of alcohol or other impairment involved. It was a straight-up collision with the floating dock.”

Schlect added that there was not a lot of external trauma, but internal injuries. The Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate the incident, which Schlect says is the first boating fatality the department has dealt with in quite some time.

However, boats running into docks on that stretch of the Colorado River is an issue, noted earlier this year when 3 separate boats ran into docks on the same weekend. Read about it HERE. The Sheriff’s Department Boating Division was speaking with the U.S. Coastguard earlier this year about the process of trying to establish the area as a no-wake zone.

105 comments

  1. Annie Liles

    Such a sad incident. Prayers for families and friends of the deceased and for all who were on the boat, witnessing such a tragedy. Thank you to all the firefighters and first responders for all they do.

  2. Cindy Robinson-Ritter

    Our prayers with everyone involved. .

  3. Anne Masek

    Sending prayers to all involved. ❤️

  4. Crystal Flanegan

    Dee Hutchins Brianna Ashley Flanegan Jake Flanegan Brian Flanegan

  5. Chris N Lori

    So sorry for everyone involved!! Stay safe out there

  6. Carrie Rasmussen

    So tragic. ???? Prayers to everyone involved. Stay safe.

  7. John Saari

    Natalie Miller Vesely saw this, aweful

  8. Tammy Flavin

    Kerri Price-Vanderwalker they were staying at Echo lodge pet the article isn’t that where you were ?

  9. Tony Schumacher

    That’s sad. Maybe first day in a Jet?

  10. Todd Sanders

    Thats horrible. The water has reverse currents in front of Foxs. Gotta be carefull there

  11. Susan Reilly

    Annie Liles amen ????????

  12. Alfie Roemer

    Sad for sure???? Shannon Roemer

  13. Susan Olsen

    Condolences to the families !! RIP.

  14. Denny Scales

    Nancy Needham Arlene Lobatto Judy Knott …………….this is like 20 feet, or less, from where you guy’s were floating on the raft last week…………….

  15. Cheri DeVoe

    Wow Carol, think we were there after that. Crazy.

  16. Judy Knott

    Denny Scales that is so sad. Prayers for the family???????????????? very glad we weren’t there when that happened!

  17. Sharon Ott

    Incredibly tragic. Prayers going out to all involved. ????????

  18. Cindy Herron

    So very sad! God bless their souls and comfort their loved ones as they grieve.

  19. Cherie Browne-Savage

    Extremely sad for everyone involved ????????

  20. Geoffrey Berens

    Definitely could ruin your whole day…

  21. Debby Ann Alcazar

    Very sad . Prayers to all who was involved in the accident. ????????????

  22. Dawn Bugarin

    Toni Santangelo omg! So sad

  23. Claudia Marsh

    Kellie Marsh yea I was reading about it the people who owned the boat were in their 70s

  24. Debra Vitali

    LaDonna Reese… were you there when this happened?
    Sad..

  25. Cindy Colangelo-Leighton

    Nikki Hernandez Ware!!! So sad ????

  26. Szalonek Victoria

    Robyn Marin Holy cow! So sad.

    Rest in peace fellow River folk.

  27. Elizabeth Taylor Lewis

    Leslie Marshall Nehring so very sad

  28. Joanne McElvenny Hall

    Sad. Prayers to the family’s and friends ❤❤❤????????????????

  29. Nikki Hernandez Ware

    Cindy Colangelo-Leighton Tom’s parents are up at the river house

  30. Linda Case

    Karrie Scully Johnston????????

  31. Robyn Marin

    Szalonek Victoria oh man that’s awful ????

  32. Melinda Clark Howard

    My prayers to the families involved, the responders and everyone that witnessed the tragedy. ❤️

  33. Bianca L Peters-Smith

    Prayers to the families
    So ????

  34. Kelly Ogilvie

    Condolences to the families and loved ones. So sorry this happened.

  35. Lori Lightfoot

    Sincerest condolences ❤????Heartbreaking.

  36. Josh LaBrie

    Amity N Mike LaBrie Joel Labrie

  37. Shannon Gee

    Kristy I hope it was no one you or your family knew. So sad.

  38. Joel Labrie

    Josh LaBrie we saw this yeaterday

  39. LaDonna Reese

    Debra Vitali Yes, I heard the sirens and then later someone told me what happened. It’s so sad, we’re all praying for the rest of them.

  40. Karrie Scully Johnston

    Linda Case yea. Very sad but really not surprised…

  41. Kerri Price-Vanderwalker

    Tammy Flavin We stay @ Emerald Cove

  42. Carol DeVoe

    Cheri DeVoe thats probably what they were doing with the dock. Now we know why the cops were there. So sad.

  43. Kristy Osterman Cardenas

    Shannon Gee no I heard it was seniors

  44. Tammy Flavin

    Kerri Price-Vanderwalker LoL After I sent that I thought maybe it’s Emerald Cove

  45. Vanessa Parsons

    May they rest in peace. How unbelievably sad.

  46. John Baird

    Mary Tomasello; Wayne Oem this is what you might have been talking about. So sad these accidents happen. Fox’s is one my old hang outs when I ran the Harbour Inn Motel.

  47. Crystal H. Schneider

    Terrible I was taking my BLS cpr/1st aide when the tones went out and I heard it on the radios at the fire dept
    Prayers for all the survivors and the deceased’s families

  48. Colleen Brown

    Crystal H. Schneider Thank u????????

  49. Eric Van Stralen

    Dave Johns. Indeed. Prayers for the families.

  50. Always sad when something like this happens. It’s a tragic loss.

  51. Angie Apodaca

    Sending prayers for the family ????????????

  52. Christie Sack

    Kris Eisenberg Trecartin wow, very sad. ☹

  53. Judy Morgan

    Judy Knott thinking of you and hoping you are well. Miss seeing everyone.

  54. Martha Zendejas

    Rob Lancaster this was our neighbors friends that were meeting them at Fox’s but never made it.. May the rest in peace????????????

  55. Kayleigh Kobielusz

    Richard Gorham omg how scary ???? so sad ????

  56. Judy Knott

    Judy Morgan I miss everyone too. Are you back home now? Hope you had a good summer.

  57. Judy Morgan

    Judy Knott yes back home for about a month. Good summer but very strange with COVID. Strange boss too. I saw a few relatives but from a distance. Brautiful and great hikes. Have you heard anything about our friends? The only one I have run into was Kris.

  58. Rob Lancaster

    So sad Martie. Prayers to the families involved ????????

  59. Don Wenzel

    Prayers to there loved ones an family. A sad day all the way around for all us who live on this river an those who come to enjoy it. All accidents are a sad thing, they are just that accidents. I’ve seen enough of them both on the river an the 30 plus years with the highway dept most of which was maintaining hwy 62. I guess my point here is it was a very sad accident, that doesn’t mean we put a no wake zone on any spot on the river, as we wouldn’t put a put a 15 mph zone from desert center to Parker where there have been many more accidents than the river. God speed to those who passed an may there families somehow heal.

  60. Jeff Berns

    Tragic! Prayers for their family, so sad.

  61. Tammy Fraley

    Prayers to the families..✝️????

  62. Don, your spot on.I Stopped using desert center 30 yrs ago. Accidents happen daily. Seems more these days while boating. 4 this year in same area. Normally when boats pass foxes thay accelerate to show off. Glad that’s not the case this time

  63. Isla Hagborg

    Look familiar territory Gord and Jan

  64. Beverly Tucker Bailey

    So sad. Those boats go so fast on the river.

  65. Susan Lindsey

    So sad ….. prayers for all ????????
    Tom Reilly

  66. Eileen Hamrick

    Yes so sad Andrea saw it happen and linda saw some of it. Prayers to the families ????????

  67. Always sad when people die and get hurt while just trying to have fun.

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