1 girl killed, 1 injured in Greenwich boating accident

GREENWICH, Conn. – Two 16-year-old girls were tubing on Long Island Sound on Wednesday when the propeller of their tow boat struck them, killing one of the teenagers and seriously injuring the other.

Greenwich police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray said another 16-year-old girl was driving the motor boat and a fourth girl, also 16, was on board when the accident occurred about 2 p.m. off Greenwich Point Park.

All four teens are Greenwich residents and Greenwich High School students. Their names were not immediately released.

Gray said the teenager died at the scene; the other girl suffered a soft tissue leg injury and is expected to recover, he said. Police and state conservation authorities are investigating what happened.

Old Greenwich Yacht Club commodore Tom Drake told the Greenwich Time that the club's launch driver found the girls in the water after hearing screams. Drake said the man called 911 and brought the girls back to the dock.

"We are feeling terrible," Drake said. "This is a horrible tragedy, and our hearts go out to the girls and their families."

Greenwich Selectman Drew Marzullo, a paramedic who responded to the accident, told the newspaper, "No words would ever come close to expressing how this young girl's family must be feeling. My thoughts and prayers are with them."

Greenwich Schools Superintendent William McKersie said the teenager who died would have been a junior. He said counselors will be available to help the community.

"There are few words that can express the deep compassion we feel for the family of the young girl who has died and for the three other girls involved in the accident," he said in a statement. "The Greenwich public school community is ready to support the girls involved and their families in every way possible."

The police spokesman told WFSB-TV: "I don't think there's any greater tragedy for a family than to lose a child at 16 years old in a simple boating accident on a beautiful day while they were looking to have a little fun."