Cypress Woman Is Killed, 2 Injured in Boat Accident

A Cypress woman died and her daughter and granddaughter were seriously injured in a boating accident during a family reunion in Millerton State Park near Fresno.

Ruth Castillo, 52, died of a severed spinal cord and broken neck Wednesday evening when a speedboat collided with her motorboat in Millerton Lake, Supervising Ranger Bill Berry said. “Apparently she was killed instantly,” he added.

Pauline Alvaraz, 32, and Jessica Castillo, 2, remained in stable condition after undergoing surgery Thursday. Alvaraz, of Whittier, is at St. Agnes Medical Center. Jessica is at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno after having an operation to repair a skull fracture, a nurse said.

The motorboat held 12 people --all relatives of Castillo--when the accident occurred. The remaining nine, five of them children, sustained less-serious injuries and were treated and released from St. Agnes, Berry said.

The ranger said the speedboat was traveling 35 to 40 m.p.h. in a zone marked for 35 m.p.h. The boat was driven by a 16-year-old girl, whose name is not being released, and carried three passengers.

The accident occurred at 6:10 p.m. on the San Joaquin River, which feeds into the lake, Berry said. Park rangers expect to deliver a full report to the Fresno district attorney’s juvenile division on Tuesday. “We’re looking into the possibility of involuntary manslaughter,” Berry said.