Girl, 9, Dies After Being Pulled From Castaic Lake

A 9-year-old North Hills girl who was pulled unconscious from Castaic Lake died Monday at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, authorities said.

Brenda Arroyo, who would have turned 10 on June 6, was pronounced dead just after 1:30 a.m., the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said.

An autopsy is pending.

Brenda was visiting the Castaic Lake State Recreation Area north of Santa Clarita on Sunday with her mother and her 4-year-old sister.

The girls went into the lake about 6 feet from a sign warning that lifeguards would not be on duty at the designated swimming area until the lake officially opened on Memorial Day, said spokeswoman Sheila Ortega of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

“Evidently, the girls went into the water and disappeared,” Ortega said.

Brenda was found underwater, pulled unconscious to shore and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Ortega said.

She was airlifted to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Medical Center in Valencia and later transferred to UCLA Medical Center.

Other visitors to the lake successfully rescued the younger girl, Ortega said.

As a result of cutbacks in state funding, only one county lifeguard was on duty at the time to patrol 32 miles of shoreline, assist boaters in distress, monitor wind conditions on the lake and warn swimmers not to go into the water, Ortega said.

More lifeguards are expected to be on duty once the lake officially opens to swimmers from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Ortega said.

“We are running a short staff now, but we are currently exploring funding sources to bring the operation back up to full staff,” Ortega said.

To ensure safety, Ortega said, county officials are considering charging swimmers a fee to pay for more lifeguards or reducing the designated swim area so that lifeguards have less area to guard.

Having one lifeguard responsible for thousands of people on the shoreline and more than 500 boats and personal watercraft on the water creates an extremely dangerous situation, said Derek Elleri, president of the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Assn., a union representing 170 lifeguards.

Every year, Castaic Lake lifeguards average 300 swim rescues, and more than 50 paramedics are involved in medical calls as well as 2,000 to 3,000 minor first-aid calls, Elleri said.

“Any time lifeguards are spread too thin, there is a greater risk to the public,” Elleri said. “A warning sign does not watch over people.”

Parks department officials estimate that 8,000 people were at the recreation area Sunday.