Yuma County Sheriff’s boat patrol keeps river goers safe on Memorial Day
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Heading to the local lakes and rivers is on many peoples to do list during Memorial Day weekend.
The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office reminds boaters to be cautious on our local waters.
“Our main function as the Sheriff’s office is not only presence, but safety, making sure everybody, making sure everybody is having fun and we’ve been really lucky this year nobody got hurt,” said Deputy Alex Hernandez.
YCSO has several deputies patrolling the river, making sure boaters stay safe on this busy boating holiday.
“We had a large amount of boats out here, a couple hundred and a couple hundred boats means a couple thousand people, because there are boats that have ten plus people on them, but it’s been great, we’ve had little incidents here and there but thank god nobody’s been hurt,” said Deputy Hernandez.
Hernandez patrols Martinez Lake, Fishers Landing, and the Colorado River.
YCSO said there was a large crowd over the weekend, but on the holiday itself, it was a bit slower.
“Today on Memorial Day is when most locals come out here because they want to avoid all the traffic from everybody else,” said Hernandez.
Jarrod Leearthur is a Yuma local who says he has been coming to the river for 40 years.
“Great time, beautiful weather, can’t go wrong with that, lot of boats out here, Monday today is a little light, super fun, and nothing but a great experience so far,” said Leearthur.
He encourages other boaters to be cautious.
“On a good day there will be hundreds, maybe thousands of boats out here and you just gotta keep your head on a spindle,” said Leearthur.
The Yuma County Sheriffs Office has several tips for staying safe out on the water, while still having fun.
Don't drink and drive, wear your life jackets and educate your boat passengers.
“If there’s an emergency, call 9-1-1. If you can’t call, you can also text 9-1-1, but keep trying because those 9-1-1 calls take priority over the towers,” said Hernandez.
