At about 4:04 p.m. today, an emergency call came in on Marine Band Channel 16 that a person was in the water near the Princess Cove area of Lake Mohave and needed immediate medical attention. The reporting person advised the National Park Service (NPS) Dispatch Center that a woman who had been riding a personal watercraft (PWC) was in the water and was struggling in the wind and waves. She had been operating the vessel with two passengers on board.
At about 4:18 p.m., two NPS Rangers and Rescue Unit 31 (two paramedics), from the Bullhead City Fire Department arrived by road at Princess Cove. Additional NPS Rangers arrived by boat and attempted to revive the woman. The NPS Rangers performed CPR on her for at least 10 minutes. Princess Cove is about four miles north of the Katherine Landing Marina on the Arizona side of Lake Mohave.
The two survivors told Park Rangers they had been in the water for 30-60 minutes and were not able to get back on their PWC. Rangers believe wind and wave action were a significant factor in this fatality. At this time, we do not know the exact cause of death of Laura Ventura, a 32-year-old woman from Los Angeles, California. The Mohave County Medical Examiner will determine the exact cause of death.
The National Weather Service had a Lake Wind Advisory in effect. Winds were sustained at 20-30 mph, with gusts of up to 40 mph. The National Weather Service is forecasting sustained winds of 23-35 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph on Saturday. Park Rangers want to remind all boaters to heed weather forecast warnings on the lakes this weekend. The Weather Service is forecasting good conditions for boating on Sunday and Monday.
This is the 9th fatality at Lake Mead National Recreation Area this calendar year. Last weekend, on Sunday, May 21, a 4-year-old girl drowned and a 69-year-old woman died after being separated from her personal watercraft in high wind conditions.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a unit of the National Park Service.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
