1 Critically Injured After Boat Sinks, 3 Rescued In Milford

MILFORD, CT — One person is in critical condition after a boat began sinking on Monday afternoon, officials said.

At 12:45 p.m. Monday, Milford Operations Center received a 911 call for the report of a sinking vessel with three people in the water in the area of Milford Harbor, officials said.

Their exact location was not known. Milford Marine Units responded with USCG sector Long Island Sound and were notified that an oyster boat had heard the mayday over their radio.

When the oyster boat arrived, they found the boat was almost completely submerged, and all three individuals had to be dragged from the chilly waters onto their vessel, fire officials said. One of these individuals was in critical condition.

Milford Marine One met up with the oyster boat that was on its way back into the harbor, and they were able to transfer that patient onto the fire boat. It was estimated that this incident happened about two miles off the coast.

Medical rescue efforts were performed by bystanders and taken over by fire personnel when they arrived, and this individual was taken to Milford Hospital for further advanced care. The other two individuals were also taken to Milford Hospital for evaluation purposes only with the help of the USCG.

The exact cause of what happened is still under investigation.

"This is the second incident this fall that an oyster boat has rescued fellow boaters in distress. Again, we cannot thank these individuals enough for their heroic actions," Milford fire officials said.