Falling Tree Kills 13-Year-Old Boater at Detroit Lake

A 13-year-old girl was killed Sunday afternoon, when a tree fell on two pontoon boats in the Box Canyon area of Detroit Lake, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office reports.

The boats were tethered together near the shoreline, when they were both struck by the top of a large tree that unexpectedly fell. The girl was severely injured and taken to the boat ramp at Mongold State Park, while family members called 911.

CPR was being administered when deputies and emergency personnel arrived at Mongold a short time later. Life Flight was called to transport the patient. Tragically, the victim did not survive the accident and was pronounced deceased at the scene. No other injuries were reported.

The victim was a 13-year-old female from Utah, who was at the lake with family when the accident occurred. No other information has been released.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Detroit-Idanha Fire District, Marion County District Attorney’s Office, Marion County Medical Examiner’s Office, Lyons Ambulance, Life Flight, U.S. Forest Service, and Oregon State Parks.

Help us build a sustainable news organization to serve Canby for generations to come! Let us know if you can support our efforts to expand our operations and keep all of our content paywall-free. #SwimWithTheCurrent!