The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today is identifying Sandra G. Tartaglino, 60, of 46 Arrowhead Drive, Tiverton, RI, as the victim in the collision between a powerboat and a catamaran sailboat in the Lower Narragansett Bay yesterday. While competing in a regatta, she was killed after her two-person boat was struck by a powerboat near the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge at around 2:45 PM.
DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) is investigating the incident, which is pending an autopsy, reconstruction, and witness statements. DEM has no timeframe on the investigation but will release a preliminary report later this week. DEM has no further information at this time and will not comment on an ongoing investigation.
DEM and DLE extend their sincerest sympathies to Sandra Tartaglino’s family and friends and the tight-knit New England sailing community.
