CROWN POINT, N.Y. — Last Thursday afternoon, two Vermont men were involved in a fatal boating accident on Lake Champlain.
New York State Police reported that on Sept. 23, William Wright, 60, of Whiting was driving his 1991 Ranger fishing boat south on the lake at around 3 p.m. when he lost control of the boat near Crown Point. Both Wright and his passenger, William Brown, 60, of Cuttingsville were thrown from the boat.
Police said that the unpiloted vessel continued to drive in tight circles in the water a couple hundred yards offshore, repeatedly hitting both Wright and Brown until the engine flooded and it came to a halt.
Troopers from the Lewis station responded to the accident. After the two men were pulled from the water, Brown was pronounced dead at the scene, while Wright was transported to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington. On Tuesday, a Fletcher Allen spokesperson reported that Wright was in fair condition at the hospital.
Brown was transported to Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, N.Y., where a Sept. 24 autopsy determined that he had died due to blunt force trauma to the chest as a result of the accident. Essex County Coroner Kelly Valentine ruled the death accidental.
Police said the incident is still under investigation.
Reporter Andrea Suozzo is at [email protected].