Old Saybrook ― U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is asking the U.S. Coast Guard to consider additional safety measures, including lighting, on the Old Saybrook jetty following a Sept. 2 crash in which three people were killed.

Nine people were aboard the 31-foot motorboat that struck a breakwater at the mouth of the Connecticut River near Harbor One Marina after 9 p.m. on Sept. 2. The boaters were returning from a weekend on Block Island, officials said.

Christopher Hallahan, 34, of Westbrook, was found dead inside the vessel soon after it was discovered. On Sept. 6, the bodies of 25-year-old Ian Duchemin, of Oakdale, and 24-year-old Ryan Britagna, of Waterford, were discovered.

“We cannot allow another tragedy at the Old Saybrook jetty before we act,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter sent Friday to Rear Admiral Wayne R. Arguin, Jr., assistant commandant for Prevention Policy at the U.S. Coast Guard. “I was pleased to see the Coast Guard considering additional risk mitigation measures to protect boaters in the area.”

According to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, there have been four boating incidents at the Old Saybrook jetty since 2020. Two involved property damage but no injuries and one, on Sept. 4, 2023, involved four injuries and property damage. The DEEP has determined that “excessive speed” was responsible for that crash.

This month’s deadly crash is still under investigation with no cause determined, DEEP officials said.

Capt. Keith Williams, of the state Environmental Conservation Police, said Friday representatives of the Coast Guard, DEEP boating division and the Conservation Police will meet together soon to discuss Old Saybrook jetty safety issues.

Williams said adding lighting to the jetty might not be the best answer, because boating safety authorities prefer that boaters stay within the federally designated navigation channel and not approach the jetty.

“With lighting, it could mislead boaters, especially at night,” Williams said.

Blumenthal said other measures should be considered as well.

“I welcome your suggestions and ideas from others. I pledge to pursue funding that may be necessary,” Blumenthal wrote to Arguin.

c.bessette@theday.com