CT May Link Boat and Car DUI Suspensions

This bill would help avoid tragic accidents like this by linking state agency information on a person convicted of a DUI.

After last year’s deadly boat crash in Old Saybrook, legislators in Connecticut are considering a bill that would link waterway and roadway DUI suspensions.

Earlier this year, Clayton Hackling, 26, of Old Lyme, Connecticut, was arrested in connection with the deadly boat accident on the Connecticut River on Labor Day 2024.

The accident occurred at the outer breakwall at the mouth of the river. Nine people were onboard. Ryan Britagna, 24, of Waterford, Connecticut, Ian Duchemin, 25, of Oakdale, Connecticut, and Christopher Hallahan, 34, of Westbrook, Connecticut, were all killed as a result of the accident.

An investigation by EnCon officers with assistance from the New London State’s Attorney Office determined that Hackling was the boat’s operator at the time of the accident.

According to the arrest warrant, GPS data showed the vessel’s speed moments before the collision was 49 mph. The documents also claim Hackling’s blood alcohol level was .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit. And a slightly higher one of .19 percent was reportedly found when his bloodwork at the hospital was tested.

Hackling reportedly had a pending DUI case.

Currently, a person convicted of a DUI in Connecticut can operate a boat without restriction.

The proposed bill would link suspensions between boating and driving licenses.

That would require cooperation between multiple state agencies. The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles currently handles motor vehicle licenses, while the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection handles vessels.