James Collins Jr., 64, of Chicopee is being treated at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. following the accident which is still under investigation by the Vermont State Police.
Clouds rise up over Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt., on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)NORTH HERO, Vermont - A Chicopee man is in critical condition at a Vermont hospital after a boat he was on collided with another on Lake Champlain Wednesday morning.
James Collins Jr., 64, of Chicopee is being treated at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. following the accident which is still under investigation by the Vermont State Police.
According to Vermont troopers, around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, Collins Jr. was a passenger on his 1998 Javelin bass boat being operated by James Collins III, 44, of Ludlow.
The boat collided with a 2009 Stratos bass boat operated by Alphonse Gambardella, 39, of North Haven, Conn., causing a series of events that would leave the elder Collins critically injured.
According to police, the collision took place near Stephenson Point on Lake Champlain, off the north shore of North Hero State Park, not far from the Canadian border.
Troopers said that Collins' boat was traveling north in the channel between North Hero and Alburg, Vt. while Gambardella's boat was idling in a southwesterly direction. As Collins' boat approached, the Connecticut man apparently tried to accelerate to avoid the collision when the front of his boat came out of the water.
The two boats did collide, however, and a trolling motor became detached. The motor was sent flying through the passenger's side windshield of Collins' boat, striking the elder Collins in the head.
Upon impact, Gambardella was thrown from the boat into the water. Police said he wasn't wearing a life jacket but was pulled from the water by the younger Collins.
The elder Collins was taken to the Burlington hospital by Grand Island Rescue and Vermont troopers said the investigation is ongoing.