AIRCRAFT COLLISION – FORT MOHAVE

On Tuesday (4/7) at approximately 11:38 AM, deputies responded to a residence in the 5000 block of Taxi Way in response to reports of an aircraft collision. Deputies arrived on scene to find a single engine aircraft that had crashed into the residence. No occupants inside the residence were injured. The two occupants of the aircraft were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The investigation has been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration.

FATAL BOAT COLLISION – LAKE HAVASU

On Tuesday (4/7) at approximately 4:50 PM, Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Division of Boating Safety deputies were dispatched on the Colorado River near the Topock Gorge, north of Lake Havasu, in reference to a boating collision. Upon arrival, deputies located a boat near the California shoreline. Fire boats from the San Bernardino County Fire Department and Lake Havasu City Fire Department began treating the two involved patients. One occupant of the watercraft was pronounced deceased on scene. The second occupant was transported to an awaiting medical helicopter and was later pronounced deceased at a hospital.

Through investigations, it was determined that the watercraft—a 2002, 25-foot Daves Custom Boat—was traveling northbound on the Colorado River at a high rate of speed. The boat lost control, struck the rock shoreline on the Arizona side of the river, and eventually came to rest in the reeds along the California shoreline. The occupants of the watercraft were identified as Noah Welch (33) and James Rutherford Jr (53), both from California. This incident is still under investigation.