Probe Into Lake Zoar Boat Crash Continues

Investigators have wrapped up their on-site accident reconstruction of although work to determine what caused the mishap will take longer, a spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said.

"Investigations take awhile," Cyndy Chanaca said Thursday.

Meanwhile, Anthony Buzzanca, Jr., 22, of Easton, one of the injured victims of Tuesday's boat crash was discharged from Danbury Hospital Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Reached by phone at home Thursday, a woman who identified herself as Buzzanca's mother declined to comment.

No information was available on the other injured victims — William Sullivan, 22, of Easton; Thomas Lane, 21, of Easton; Kristen Paolino, 19, of Trumbull; Kara Yakosh, 20, of Trumbull; and Hannah Cebry, 21, of Burlington.

That could mean they were discharged earlier from the hospital or asked that information on their medical condition be withheld, the hospital spokeswoman said.

The — Ron Basak-Smith, 22, of Easton; Jonathan Edwards, 21, of Easton; Dean Lorusso, 21, of Easton; Meghan Ledan, 20, of Bethel; and Meghan Merritt, 22, of Lakeville — were traveling in a 21-foot Mastercraft ski boat at about 11:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 5 when the vessel hit the shore and ejected some of the passengers into the water and nearby wooded area of Southbury, officials said.

The boat involved in the crash, which in photos appears to be a Mastercraft X9, is popular with water skiers. While Mastercraft is not making any new boats of that model, past specifications indicate the vessel can carry 12 people.

Scott Conant, an avid water skier and vice president of the Short Line Ski Club, which utilizes Lake Lillinonah for its slalom course, said Mastercraft wakeboards are designed to carry more passengers than other vessel types because the weight helps the boat generate the wake that water skiers crave.

Although rules prohbit wake boarding after sunset, it is common for boats to be used after sunset to hang out, he and other boaters said.

At night, the speed limit on Lake Zoar is 25 mph, according to Bob Barnes, chairman of the Lake Zoar Authority.

It is unknown whether speed played a factor in the crash, although some lakefront residents reported that some boaters regularly speed through the area, even at night. But Barnes said the authority has not received complaints about speed on the lake.

"None whatsoever," he said. "Nothing came in front of my eyes since I became chairman three years ago."