Tragic death of Junior Lifeguard ruled accident

Alyssa Squirrell, 11 of Laguna Hills, was in the ocean last July as a part of a training exercise for the junior lifeguard program in Huntington Beach when she was struck and killed by the boat driven by Marine Safety Lt. Greg Crow.  After a three month investigation into the incident, Orange County prosecutors have decided not to file criminal charges against the decorated marine safety officer. “My decision is mainly based on the fact that there is a lack of evidence to conclude that Mr. Crow committed a crime,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh wrote. “All available evidence indicates that Ms. Squirrell’s unfortunate and tragic death was the result of an accident.”

During the exercise, the trainees were to jump from the boat and into the ocean.  Alyssa was still in the ocean, but had not rejoined the training group, and unfortunately, and tragically, when the boat turned around, she was struck, and received deep cuts to her leg and hip which ultimately led to her death.