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‘His death was preventable’: Family of Saguaro Lake drowning victim encourages boaters to wear life jackets

In Ryan Thomas’ memory, life jacket loaner stations are installed across Arizona for anyone going out on the water.

PHOENIX — Standing to the side of the boat ramp at Saguaro Lake with a brown roof, white signage and brightly colored life jackets is an offering of safety. 

The life jacket loaner station was the first in the state and is an introduction, of sorts, to 21-year-old Ryan Thomas.

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“We miss him every day,” Shannon Liebrock, Thomas’ aunt and the founder of The Ryan Thomas Foundation, said. “So to be able to, in some way, introduce him to the people that never got to know how great he was, was really cool.” 

Thomas had a love for the outdoors, Liebrock said. That’s what brought him and friends out to Saguaro Lake to fish in October of 2008. 

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“They were getting ready to dock the boat. And Ryan said he wanted to cool off one more time. He rolled off the side of the boat and unfortunately, did not resurface,” Liebrock said. “His buddies all jumped in to look for him. But unfortunately, they weren't able to locate him.” 

At the time he went into the water Thomas was not wearing a lifejacket. In his memory, Liebrock, through The Ryan Thomas Foundation, worked with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to get life jacket loaner stations installed at bodies of water across the state. 

“It costs you nothing, costs you nothing but the time to put them on. And it'll save your life, it would have saved Ryan's life to have one of these on. And that's one of the hardest things I think, for us is that his death was preventable,” Liebrock said. 

In total, there are now 25 stations stocked with a variety of life jacket sizes for anyone to use for the day. According to AZGFD, the stations are installed at popular lakes like Apache, Bartlett, Canyon, Lake Havasu, Mohave, Pleasant, and Saguaro.

“Most drownings happen very unexpectedly and so it's that wanting people to be proactive and be prepared by wearing a life jacket. So that when those mundane kind of just everyday occurrences happen, you're prepared,” Liebrock said. “

Last year, Liebrock said AZGFD replaced 900 life jackets across the stations, a sign of people taking one step to be safe on Arizona lakes and rivers. 

“Be very aware of your abilities to swim, don't drink and boat,” Liebrock said. “We want people to come out here and have the time of their life, you know, and not lose their life.” 

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