New Milford speedboat operator was at fault in fatal lake crash, DEP says
Two men died, one seriously injured in July collision on Candlewood Lake
By John Pirro
Staff Writer
Updated: 05/19/2009 11:49:16 PM EDT
NEW MILFORD -- Richard "Teddy" Layton Jr. was drunk and operating his high-performance speedboat recklessly when it collided with a fishing boat on a darkened Candlewood Lake last July, according to DEP investigators. The crash killed Layton, 33, of New Milford, and passenger Jason Wanat, 27, of Redding.
A nearly 10-month investigation by Environmental Conservation police released Tuesday concluded Layton was traveling at a high rate of speed, had a blood alcohol level of 0.19, more than twice the legal limit for driving, and was "inattentive to his surroundings" when his Formula speedboat was hit by a bass boat containing two fishermen from New York state.
The fishermen escaped serious injury. Another Layton passenger, Danbury fireman Kevin Sullivan, 30, of Bridgewater, was severely injured and spent months in the hospital after the July 19 accident.
The nearly 300-page report answers two major questions that persisted since the crash -- which boat struck the other, and who was operating the 24-foot Formula owned by Layton.
Although an accident reconstruction team decided the 18-foot Triton bass boat operated by William Daddio of Mahopac, N.Y., was the striking craft, investigators said Layton, who was at the helm of the Formula, was at fault.
Under federal rules of navigation, the bass boat had the right of way, DEP said, and because of his condition Layton failed to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
The deadly crash
occurred about 1:15 a.m. in a narrow section of the lake between Chimney Point and Vaughn's Neck.
Layton and his passengers had just left Down the Hatch, a waterside restaurant and bar in Brookfield, and were headed north.
The bass boat, containing Daddio, 60, and his passenger, Michael Iannucci, 35, of Cortland Manor, N.Y., was headed south. The two were participating in a fishing tournament and were moving to another spot on the lake when the collision occurred.
Investigators said a pontoon boat that was also in the narrow channel may have obscured Layton's view of the bass boat, but that couldn't be conclusively determined because neither Daddio or the operator of the pontoon boat could be positive on which side Daddio passed it moments before the Triton hit the Formula.
Sullivan, the only survivor on the speedboat, was unable to recall any of the events leading to the accident, or the accident itself, according to the report.
The bass boat and the speedboat had their lights on, investigators said, and the pontoon boat skipper, Peter Gronlund, of New Canaan, told them the bass boat was "going a little too fast for driving in the dark."
Daddio told investigators he was traveling at about "25 to 26 miles per hour," according to the report.
He denied having anything to drink and didn't appear intoxicated when questioned by investigators, but they were unable to determine his blood-alcohol level because he had been swabbed with alcohol when his blood was drawn at the hospital.
The accident promises to spawn a host of lawsuits. Attorneys for most of the involved parties, or their estates, have already filed notices of intent to sue the five towns bordering the lake and the Candlewood Lake Authority, claiming the authority failed to patrol the lake properly.
None of the lawyers contacted Tuesday had yet seen the report.
But Danbury attorney Agostinho Ribeiro, representing Wanat's estate, and David Bennett, who represents Sullivan, said they intend to have their own expert review the DEP's investigation.
"We believe in theses cases the experts tend to agree the fault is never exclusively on one party," Ribeiro said. "It's always easy to pin the fault on the person who is least able to defend themselves, but that may not be the end of the story."
Contact John Pirro
at jpirro@newstimes.com
or at (203) 731-3342.
Boating accident victims Richard Layton Jr., 33, of New Milford Jason Wanat, 27, of West Redding Survivors Kevin Sullivan, 30, of Bridgewater William Daddio, 60, of Mahopac, N.Y. Michael Iannucci, 35, of Cortland Manor, N.Y.
Two men died, one seriously injured in July collision on Candlewood Lake
By John Pirro
Staff Writer
Updated: 05/19/2009 11:49:16 PM EDT
NEW MILFORD -- Richard "Teddy" Layton Jr. was drunk and operating his high-performance speedboat recklessly when it collided with a fishing boat on a darkened Candlewood Lake last July, according to DEP investigators. The crash killed Layton, 33, of New Milford, and passenger Jason Wanat, 27, of Redding.
A nearly 10-month investigation by Environmental Conservation police released Tuesday concluded Layton was traveling at a high rate of speed, had a blood alcohol level of 0.19, more than twice the legal limit for driving, and was "inattentive to his surroundings" when his Formula speedboat was hit by a bass boat containing two fishermen from New York state.
The fishermen escaped serious injury. Another Layton passenger, Danbury fireman Kevin Sullivan, 30, of Bridgewater, was severely injured and spent months in the hospital after the July 19 accident.
The nearly 300-page report answers two major questions that persisted since the crash -- which boat struck the other, and who was operating the 24-foot Formula owned by Layton.
Although an accident reconstruction team decided the 18-foot Triton bass boat operated by William Daddio of Mahopac, N.Y., was the striking craft, investigators said Layton, who was at the helm of the Formula, was at fault.
Under federal rules of navigation, the bass boat had the right of way, DEP said, and because of his condition Layton failed to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
The deadly crash
occurred about 1:15 a.m. in a narrow section of the lake between Chimney Point and Vaughn's Neck.
Layton and his passengers had just left Down the Hatch, a waterside restaurant and bar in Brookfield, and were headed north.
The bass boat, containing Daddio, 60, and his passenger, Michael Iannucci, 35, of Cortland Manor, N.Y., was headed south. The two were participating in a fishing tournament and were moving to another spot on the lake when the collision occurred.
Investigators said a pontoon boat that was also in the narrow channel may have obscured Layton's view of the bass boat, but that couldn't be conclusively determined because neither Daddio or the operator of the pontoon boat could be positive on which side Daddio passed it moments before the Triton hit the Formula.
Sullivan, the only survivor on the speedboat, was unable to recall any of the events leading to the accident, or the accident itself, according to the report.
The bass boat and the speedboat had their lights on, investigators said, and the pontoon boat skipper, Peter Gronlund, of New Canaan, told them the bass boat was "going a little too fast for driving in the dark."
Daddio told investigators he was traveling at about "25 to 26 miles per hour," according to the report.
He denied having anything to drink and didn't appear intoxicated when questioned by investigators, but they were unable to determine his blood-alcohol level because he had been swabbed with alcohol when his blood was drawn at the hospital.
The accident promises to spawn a host of lawsuits. Attorneys for most of the involved parties, or their estates, have already filed notices of intent to sue the five towns bordering the lake and the Candlewood Lake Authority, claiming the authority failed to patrol the lake properly.
None of the lawyers contacted Tuesday had yet seen the report.
But Danbury attorney Agostinho Ribeiro, representing Wanat's estate, and David Bennett, who represents Sullivan, said they intend to have their own expert review the DEP's investigation.
"We believe in theses cases the experts tend to agree the fault is never exclusively on one party," Ribeiro said. "It's always easy to pin the fault on the person who is least able to defend themselves, but that may not be the end of the story."
Contact John Pirro
at jpirro@newstimes.com
or at (203) 731-3342.
Boating accident victims Richard Layton Jr., 33, of New Milford Jason Wanat, 27, of West Redding Survivors Kevin Sullivan, 30, of Bridgewater William Daddio, 60, of Mahopac, N.Y. Michael Iannucci, 35, of Cortland Manor, N.Y.