Girl, 6, dies at lake after leg is severed by propeller of boat driven by mum

02 August 2023 , 10:45

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Sunni Wasden was a 'bright and beautiful light in so many people's lives' (Image: Instagram)

A six-year-old girl who died at a lake after her leg was severed by the propeller of a boat driven by mum has been identified.

A "tragic incident" led to the granddaughter of a former top Idaho official passing away when she was fatally injured in a boating accident.

Sunni Wasden died following the incident in Lake Pleasant, Arizona, on Friday and she was rushed to hospital after she was pulled from the water at around 11am and later pronounced dead. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office called the incident "tragic".

A total of 12 people from two families were wakeboarding and swimming by the boat from early that day. Nobody in the group, consisting of six adults and six children, had realised little Sunni was still in the water.

Mum Camille began to accelerate as she attempted to pull another member of the family wakeboarding but ran over Sunni.

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Mum Camille was piloting the boat (Instagram)

Sunni's dad Blake Wasden realised someone was in the water after Sunni had been run over and swam over to help.

Sgt Joaquin Enriquez said: "He and the mother quickly realised their daughter was in the water and had suffered a leg amputation from the boat's propeller.

"Witnesses at the scene confirmed that the child's mother was operating the boat when she began to drive and, unbeknownst to the family, the child had somehow entered the water.

"There is no impairment investigation at this time. We have investigators that went and check for signs; though it is an ongoing investigation we don't see any signs of impairment as of right now."

Sources close to the family say they are "devastated" by the loss of Sunni.

In her obituary, Sunni was called a "bright and beautiful light in so many people's lives."

Police said Sunni suffered a leg amputation from the boat's propeller (CBS5)

It continued: "She had such a loving and nurturing spirit that she shared with everyone she met. She was fearless and always took on whatever came her way.

"Sunni is survived by her parents, Camille and Blake Wasden, and her brothers, Tucker and Dieter."

Blake, 34, is the son of Lawrence Wasden, Idaho's longest-serving attorney general. He would regularly feature his children on his YouTube channel learning to wakeboard and telling other parents how to make their young children safe and comfortable on a boat.

On her third birthday, Blake called Sunni a "wonderful blessing" and an "amazing" girl that was "so sweet."

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Sunni could be seen learning to wakeboard in other footage on Blake's Instagram account.

Benjamin Lynch