SPECIAL

Report details crash that killed Tiverton sailor on Narragansett Bay

Sean Flynn
sflynn@newportri.com
Sandra Tartaglino

NEWPORT – Alex Byczko of Ontario, Canada, was sitting on the left pontoon of the catamaran, the port side, while Sandra Tartaglino of Tiverton, was on the right pontoon, starboard, as they traveled south on a port tack towards the center span of the Pell Bridge, according to a state Department of Environmental Management incident report.

“Without warning a power vessel traveling west struck the sailboat on its port side, at approximately a 90-degree angle, and rode over the sailboat, causing it to spin 180 degrees to port,” Byczko told DEM Environmental Police Officer Anthony Esposito, according to Esposito’s report of the fatal accident that killed Tartaglino on Aug. 11, a Sunday afternoon, around 2:45 p.m.

Tartaglino disappeared from sight at the time of the collision, Byczko told the officer.

“Once both vessels settled in the water, Byczko said he observed Tartaglino floating face down in the water with a large amount of blood around her,” the officer’s narrative said. “Byczko said that he requested that the parties aboard the powerboat attempt to bring Tartaglino aboard their vessel, but they were unable to do so, stating, ‘we don’t know how to get her up.’”

Law enforcement officers investigated the accident and DEM released their findings last week. They found no evidence Frank Teixeira, 75, of Portsmouth, intended or foresaw the consequences of his operations, knew his actions were wrong but proceeded anyway, or willingly acted recklessly knowing it would cause a death, according to a DEM press release.

“Mr. Teixeira has expressed profound grief over this tragic accident,” wrote attorney Christopher Gontarz, in a statement sent to the Daily News on behalf of Teixeira.

“He and his family express their deepest condolences to the family of Sandra Tartaglino,” the statement said. “As the thorough and complete investigation by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, United States Coast Guard, Newport Police Department and the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General states, this was a tragic calamity which has profound consequences for my client and especially for the Tartaglino family.”

DEM released a 15-page incident report to the Daily News on Monday after the newspaper filed an Access to Public Records request late last week.

The 2005 powerboat was a 28-foot white True World cabin cruiser called @Last valued at $50,000, the report says. The 2001 18-foot Nacra F18 Catamaran was valued at $18,000. Both vessels had hulls of fiberglass and uniglass, the report said.

According to the report, Byczko, who was still on the catamaran after the collision, attempted to signal assistance from some personal water craft operating in the area, but the operators did not respond.

Teixeira told Environmental Police Officer Kevin Snow that he and his passenger, Patricia McKay of Portsmouth, departed Casey’s Marina in Newport at about 2:30 p.m. bound for Potter Cove in Jamestown, according to Snow’s report. They were underway for about 15 minutes when they crossed under the center span of the Pell Bridge.

Teixeira “said that they crossed under the bridge in a westerly direction, passing under the bridge at an angle almost parallel to the bridge, Snow wrote. “Teixeira said he never saw the sail boat until it was ‘right there’ in his immediate vicinity. Once the collision occurred, he circled back to assess what had happened. He observed the body, later identified as that of Sandra Tartaglino in the water with a large amount of blood.”

Teixeira said he and his wife immediately put out a distress call to the Coast Guard over VHF Channel 16 and signaled for help from other boats in the area.

The Newport Harbormaster boat, manned by Assistant Harbormaster George Crowninshield and Thomas Dunn, was the first rescue vessel on scene, arriving from the south, and recovered the victim from the water, according to Snow’s report.

The harbormaster crew covered Tartaglino and brought her to the Sail Newport dock at Fort Adams State Park, Snow wrote. The state medical examiner arrived on the scene at about 5:20 p.m., Snow said.

“When the victim’s body was uncovered, I observed severe trauma to the right side of the head, consisting of deep gouges through the skull, with crushed skull bone visible,” Snow wrote. “There was also a visible slice to the right hand. ...The Medical Examiner transported the body from the scene.”

Snow attended Tartaglino’s autopsy on Aug. 13., where he observed she had a severed finger on the right hand.

“All of the other injuries were concentrated on the upper back, neck, and head,” Snow wrote. “There were deep, slicing wounds to the head and neck that the Medical Examiner said were consistent with being caused by a boat propeller.”

Soon after the accident happened, a Coast Guard vessel arrived from the north, according to the report. Newport and Warwick fire boats also were on the scene with the Jamestown harbormaster’s boat.

Byczko estimated the catamaran was approximately “half a kilometer,” just over 1,600 feet, from the Jamestown shoreline when the accident occurred, according to Esposito’s report. He said the catamaran was “sitting flat” with both pontoons in the water.

Tartaglino, the owner of the catamaran, and Byczko, were racing in the New England 100 regatta, but there was low wind at the time, according to the report.

“Byczko does not recall if he was tethered to the catamaran at that time, but said he did not go overboard at all,” Snow wrote. “He was initially stunned, but collected himself quickly. After the initial collision, the catamaran continued sailing in a northerly direction. Byczko explained that this type of racing catamaran ‘wants to keep sailing.’ ”

“Mr. Teixeira explained that his bow was ‘on the stern’ of the catamaran, which is a true statement, and consistent with the evidence and dynamics of the collision,” Snow wrote. Teixeira had functioning radar on board at the time but did not have it on at the time of the accident, he wrote.

The Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority did not have any camera footage of the area where the collision occurred, Snow said.

After the accident, the Coast Guard and DEM officials decided to bring both boats to Fort Adams State Park.

“I was able to observe that the main sail had a very large tear in the fabric running parallel to the boom,” wrote Environmental Police Lt. Daniel White in his report. “I also observed a black transfer and crushed fiberglass material on the inner, aft section of the starboard pontoon.”

The boats later were transported to the Environmental Police Marine Base in Wickford.

During inspections of the vessels, law enforcement officers found no indication of alcohol or drug use, or any alcohol containers on the boats.

Teixeira was cited with four violations, each with a maximum fine of $100, of the Coast Guard’s Inland Navigational Rules. DEM will prosecute the case in the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal and arraignment is set for Nov. 13. The violations include risk of collision, action to avoid a collision, responsibilities between vessels and failure to keep a look-out.

Gontarz said he will represent Teixeira at that proceeding.

Attorneys Peter Regan and Mark Boivin, both with the Sayer Regan & Thayer law firm of Newport, are representing the interests of the Tartaglino family, along with Marine Surveyor Chuck Murphy and Michael Collyer of Maritime Claims, LLC, according to Snow’s report.

Regan and Boivin were not immediately available for comment.

sflynn@newportri.com