Family's 12-foot fishing boat overturns in waters off Oxnard; mother hospitalized

OXNARD, Calif. (KABC) -- A family of four was hospitalized, including a woman in serious condition, early Wednesday morning after their 12-foot fishing boat capsized in waters off Oxnard, authorities said.

The incident was reported at 12:25 a.m. in the 3900 block of Ocean Drive, where a mother was discovered in a separate location from two children and their father, according to the Oxnard Fire Department.

Ashley Parris, a nearby resident, said she was awakened by the sound of a young girl crying out for help. Parris alerted her husband, who went outside, found the children and brought them into the home.

"The little girl said, 'I think my dad is on the beach and I think my mom drowned,'" Parris said. She called 911.

The woman who had been on the boat was unconscious and not breathing when found in the surf line, said a spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. She was brought to shore and CPR was performed before she was rushed to a hospital.

The extent of her injuries were unknown, said Fire Department spokesman Steve Swindle, "but it's my understanding that she went into the ICU."

The man and the children, ages 5 and 10, were OK after swimming to shore, sheriff's officials said.

The family had apparently been on a late-night lobster-fishing trip, traveling as far as Channel Islands National Park in Ventura before becoming lost, according to investigators. All four boaters were wearing life vests at the time of the incident.

It was unclear what caused the boat to capsize. It was seen overturned on the beach after washing up onshore.