Victim Killed In Portland CT River Boating Accident Identified

PORTLAND, CT — The man killed in a boating accident that left multiple others injured on Sunday has been identified. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said Wayne Hamler, 60, of Waterford, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The boating accident also left a 45-year-old woman in critical condition. A 6-year-old boy is in serious but stable condition, and two other adults are in stable condition, according to DEEP officials.

The boat's other occupants have been treated and released, officials said.

At around 5 p.m. on Sunday, members of the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police (EnCon), Middletown Fire Department, Portland Police and Portland Fire Department responded to the Connecticut River in the area of Gildersleeve Island in Portland on the report of a serious boat accident.

The preliminary investigation found that a 21-foot Yamaha jet boat was travelling north on the river when it “suddenly veered toward the shoreline,” officials wrote in a news release. “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.”

The DEEP is investigating the cause of the accident.

"On behalf of the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police, we offer our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the people involved," officials wrote in the news release.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Environmental Conservation Police Department at 800-842-4357 and reference case number 22-10902.

See also: ID Released Of 15-Year-Old Victim Killed In Fatal Birthday Party Shooting: UPDATE

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