Woman Who Was Pulled From Sinking Boat Dies

A 66-year-old Inglewood woman rescued earlier this week from a sinking pleasure craft died on Thursday of her injuries.

Mildred Griffin, a subscription saleswoman for the Los Angeles Times, had been in a coma in the intensive care unit at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital, spokeswoman Zan Dubin said.

Griffin’s 8-year-old grandson, Donta Perry, died shortly after the accident. They were among six people trapped on the 23-foot boat, which slammed into an oil refinery buoy Monday night about 1 1/4 miles off the coast of El Segundo.

Four of the people on the boat, which was returning from a family outing to Santa Catalina Island, were saved by the crew of another vessel, the Mystic.

Griffin and the boy were trapped under water in the hull for at least 10 minutes before Los Angeles County Harbor Patrol deputies in scuba gear could pull them out.

Both were in full cardiac arrest with water-filled lungs and suffering from hypothermia when they were rushed to nearby hospitals.

“Mildred had a large extended family of brothers, cousins and friends who were with her around the clock,” Dubin said. “We were deluged with telephone calls from well-wishers, and we received lots of letters from children at Donta’s school.”