Yuma has quiet, fantastic Fourth with few accidents

Holiday crowds for the Fourth of July included more residents than in years' past and most have heeded official caution by celebrating a safe Independence Day, said Yuma County merchants and safety officials.

It was mostly locals crowding Fishers Landing Resort this year, said Shirley Bush, resort manager. In prior years there was a greater percentage of tourists from San Diego and Imperial County but Independence Day celebrants seem to be a bit more selective this year, Bush said.

"I'd say probably a couple of thousand have been here this weekend," Bush said. "We're excited to see people here enjoying the water. Our desert rats (RVers) are becoming river rats."

People seem to be choosing their time off more carefully and not taking excursions every weekend, Bush said. But the turn out at Fishers Landing Resort this July 4th was comparable to last year, Bush said.

She also said that there was no indication if fuel expense affected travelers, but they make an effort to keep their gas costs reasonable and that their prices are competitive with San Diego.

At Fishers Landing, there were no reports of accidents, intoxication arrests or fireworks violations reported, Bush said. Her staff always encourage customers to be safe at all times because nobody wants to return from the holiday hampered by tragedy, she said.

"People here have great camaraderie on the river," Bush said. "They will help each other if they need a tow or for any type of assistance. This is a great holiday weekend."

The situation was slightly different just north at Martinez Lake Resort where 95 percent of the visitors are usually from San Diego, according to assistant manager Donna Wood. She said the turnout this weekend was as good if not better than 2006 - the last year when the 4th of July was celebrated over the weekend. But escalating fuel costs were definitely a factor, where regular was selling for $4.99 per gallon, Wood said.

"We didn't seem to be as crowded on the river this year but still had a lot of people," Wood said. "It's usually the third biggest holiday after Memorial Day and Labor Day."

While there were a few minor boating infractions there were no major accidents she knew of, Bush said. The police were out in force yet the crowds seemed well behaved, she said.

"We enjoy seeing the people up here and it was beautiful weather out on the river this weekend," Bush said.

The Yuma Police Department was conducting an intensive impaired driving enforcement detail this weekend, according to a YPD news release. Additional officers were working in overtime capacity to detect and apprehend impaired drivers and were funded by a grant from the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety, the release said.

The YPD reminds motorists that 42 percent of the state's fatal traffic accidents involve impaired drivers and holiday weekends tend to see increased numbers of impaired drivers. YPD encourages the public to do their part to maintain safety by not drinking and driving, the release said.

The Yuma Fire Department responded to 53 service calls over the holiday, none of which included a fatality, according to YFD Crew Commander Waterford. Of those 53 calls, 38 were for emergency medical services, 24 of those were transferred to Yuma Regional Medical Center, and 14 calls were fire-related responses, Waterford said.

Meanwhile, the Somerton Police Department reported no incidents of traffic accidents or driving under the influence citations, said Officer Edward Quitero.


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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.