A late-morning boat accident on the Housatonic River sent one person to the hospital Monday (Aug. 12).
About 11:45 a.m. Shelton police, as well as firefighters and EMS from Shelton and Derby, were sent to the area of the river near Indian Well State Park on a report of a boat crash involving injuries.
One person was injured in the incident and was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Dwayne Gardner, a spokesman for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Shelton Fire Marshal James Tortora said Monday afternoon that the crash was caused by the boat’s engine becoming dislodged while it was being driven in the river.
“It kind of jerked it wildly,” Tortora said.
The boat’s occupants were out of the water by the time emergency personnel arrived on the scene, he said.
“They were in the middle of the river when it happened,” Tortora said. “A neighbor on shore saw it, and as they were floating down the river, she threw them a rope and pulled them into a dock, then called 911.”
The boat then sunk, Tortora said.
No other boats were involved in the incident.
Emergency personnel cleared the scene by about 12:20 p.m.
