Congamond's Blood and the Ripple Effect of Tragedy

Anthony Krupa of Windsor, Connecticut, dove off a wooden raft into South Pond at Congamond Lake on Thursday, July 4, 1974. Swimming underwater, he resurfaced about 20 feet in front of an oncoming boat operated by Carl Layman of Wallingford, Connecticut. Layman, the lone occupant in the boat, immediately acted but not quick enough. The watercraft's 70-horsepower outboard motor was at half-throttle when the propellor ripped into the right side of Anthony's body - exposing his organs and cutting his arm off at the shoulder. Anthony was bleeding profusely. His younger brother and Layman brought him to shore on the Suffield, Connecticut, side of South Pond. A Suffield ambulance took Anthony to Noble Hospital in Westfield, Massachusetts, where he underwent extensive surgery. Sadly, his injuries were too severe. He died while on the operating table roughly five hours after the accident. Although it shares a shoreline with Connecticut, Congamond Lake was primarily under the jurisdicti...