PEORIA, AZ — With many people expected to be out on the lakes for the holiday weekend, a family personally impacted by a boating accident, along with first responders, are urging safety ahead of the 4th of July.
"I heard Sunni scream for me when I was out in the water. Shortly after that, when I swam back to her, I swam into the worst experience I think anyone could swim into," Blake Wasden, Sunni's dad, previously told ABC15 about that tragic day.
Sunni was hit by a boat on Lake Pleasant in July of 2023. Law enforcement told ABC15 then that the families were taking all safety precautions and that they were experienced boaters. Impairment was also not a factor in the incident.
“As much as you are safe, accidents are going to happen. We go and drive every day and accidents happen,” Wasden told ABC15 on Thursday.
Since the tragedy, Wasden and his wife have started the "Lost Child Podcast," with the goal of helping the community better understand what families who have lost a child are going through.
Hear from the Wasden family and first responders about boating safety in the player above.
