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The incident in Middlesex County, in the town of Portland in the area of Gildersleeve Island on Sunday, July 10.
The preliminary investigation by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection revealed that a 21-foot Yamaha jet boat was traveling north on the river when it suddenly veered toward the shoreline, said James Fowler, of DEEP.
The vessel ultimately collided with rocks on the bank of the river. As a result of the collision, numerous occupants were ejected from the vessel, Fowler said.
At the time of the collision, the vessel was occupied by a total of eight people. Six of the occupants were adults and two were juveniles. As a result of the collision, seven people were transported to area hospitals including Hartford Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Fowler added.
A 60-year-old adult man identified as Wayne Hamler, of Waterford, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The conditions of the other victims are as follows: a 45-year-old adult female that is in critical condition, a 52-year-old female that is in stable condition, a 59-year-old male that is in stable condition, and a 6-year-old male juvenile that is in serious but stable condition. The other occupants of the vessel were treated and released, Fowler said.
At this point, EnCon and the Boat Accident Reconstruction Unit are continuing the investigation into the cause of this collision.
"On behalf of the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police, we offer our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the people involved," the department said.
Any witnesses to the incident are asked to contact Environmental Conservation Police Department at 800-842-4357 and refer all information to Conservation Enforcement Officer Megan Erickson case number 22-10902.
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