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Julia Budzinski's tragic river death followed by ANOTHER boating accident that kills 17-year-old girl

Besides 17-year-old Julia Budzinski, daughter of Blue Jays coach Mark Budzinski, another teen Madison Bradley's corpse was recovered from the Blind River on July 4

Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, two adolescent girls died in separate boating mishaps, leaving their families to grieve. The one that grabbed headlines was the death of Julia Budzinski, 17, the daughter of Toronto Blue Jays first-base coach Mark Budzinski. She was tubing in a Virginia river when she was hit by a boat propeller in the tragic incident on July 2. But there was another boating mishap just two days later when another teen Madison Bradley's corpse was recovered from the Blind River on Monday, July 4, after she drowned and did not reappear after being thrown off a pontoon boat.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources verified to The Sun that there were two children in a tube being towed by a boat on the James River on Saturday, July 2, during a family outing. Both the girls slipped off the tube. According to reports, the boat operator carefully turned the vessel around to approach them. According to a DWR spokeswoman, the boat hit a wave and was tossed on top of one of the girls. According to the speaker, a propeller struck a 17-year-old thought to be Budzinski. The boat operator instantly leaped into the river to save the girl, as did another passing boater. They hurried to shore for assistance after pulling the girl from the sea. At the hospital, she was pronounced dead.

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"Lifejackets were worn, no foul play is suspected, and alcohol was not a factor," a department spokesperson informed in a statement. "DWR sends their condolences to the friends and family during this unimaginable time," the statement added. At Glen Allen High School, where Julia attended, a vigil was organized on Sunday evening. "It’s with a heavy heart to announce that the GAHS family is dealing with the (loss) of life of a student — Julia Budzinski,” Principal Reginald Davenport noted on Twitter. "She was the sweetest person," one young woman told WTVR. "I remember when she would congratulate me... it just put a smile on my face." Julia was the oldest child of the Budzinskis. The father of Julia reportedly taking some time off from the MLB club to spend time with his wife Monica and their other two kids, Josh and Lily.

The Blue Jays announced his leave of absence, following the loss of his daughter Julia, in a statement published Sunday morning, on July 3. Several people tweeted their condolences for the Budzinski family.

According to Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Madison Bradley's body, who was also 17 at the time, was found two days later in the Blind River. Around 5.40 pm on Monday, Madison went away and was not recovered for several hours. With five other people, the child was a passenger on a pontoon boat. She was reportedly traveling with a male passenger on the bow in front of the safety barrier. The boat struck a wake left by a passing ship, which caused the two to be thrown into the sea. Agents said that while the male passenger managed to resurface with very minor injuries, Madison was unable to do so after sustaining severe prop hits.

The family was accustomed to her being on the water, according to her mother Leigh-Ann Bradley. The boat's driver, 33-year-old David Crowe, was detained by the LDWF on suspicion of vehicular murder, operating or driving a vessel while being drunk, and careless operation of a vessel. He was arrested and sent to the Livingston Parish Jail; he is currently out on a $101,000 bail. Crowe may be sentenced to five to thirty years in jail and penalties ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 for vehicular murder. The Livingston Parish Coroner's Office was given custody of Madison's remains so they could ascertain the precise cause of her demise.