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Boat accident near Portland kills one, injures several others

The Connecticut River runs to Long Island Sound.
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
The Connecticut River runs to Long Island Sound.

A boat accident on Sunday on the Connecticut River near Portland, Conn., killed one person and injured seven others.

Sixty-year-old Wayne Hamler of Waterford was pronounced dead at the scene. Several others were taken to the hospital, some with serious injuries.

Authorities say the operator lost control of the jet boat and crashed into the rocky shoreline. Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police are investigating what caused the crash.

In a news release Monday afternoon, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said one adult woman was in critical condition and a 6-year-old child was in stable but serious condition. Two other adults in stable condition were being treated at the hospital. The other three survivors were treated and released. Authorities have not released the names of the survivors.

Officials asked that anyone with information about the incident contact the Environmental Conservation Police Department at 800-842-4357 and refer all information to Conservation Enforcement Officer Megan Erickson, case number “22-10902.O.”

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.