HADLEY – A boat crash on the Connecticut River sent three people to the hospital, police said.
Police said dispatch received a call about the accident across from Rainbow Beach at 5:08 p.m. Wednesday from one of the boat’s passengers. Emergency personnel found one person on the boat unresponsive but breathing, and all three people were rescued and taken to Baystate Medical Center, police said.
None of the boaters’ injuries were life threatening, police said.
“When they were found we considered them in critical condition,” said Hadley Fire Chief Michael Spanknebel. “They were all still in the boat.”
Four boats assisted with the rescue from the Hadley, Northampton and South Hadley fire departments, according to Spanknebel. The owner of Sportsman’s Marina in Hadley, Gary Pelissier, allowed first responders to borrow his boat to assist with the rescue as well.
Spanknebel said that with rainy and overcast weather, fewer boats were on the water Wednesday, meaning fewer patrols. The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Environmental Police.
Over the weekend, the Hadley, Northampton, South Hadley and Easthampton police departments joined forces with state Environmental Police, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the United States Coast Guard to form a task force to ramp up enforcement of boating regulations on the Connecticut River.
“There’s specific rules. The river can be difficult to navigate so if you’re not paying attention you can get into an area where you can get into some bad things,” Spanknebel said, adding that boaters should always be on the lookout for sand bars or submerged logs.