Boat Driver Sentenced To Three Years For Crash

[Serious News]

Middletown Man Sentenced To Three Years In Drunken Boating Crash That Killed Best Friend



By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY, cdempsey@courant.com
The Hartford Courant
9:27 p.m. EDT, March 21, 2014


VERNON — Michael Antol lost a lot two years ago when he revved the engine of his 90-horsepower bass boat while drunk, slamming into the shore of a lake in Union. He lost his best friend and business partner, and he eventually lost his health.

On Friday at Superior Court in Rockville, he also lost his freedom. Antol, 43, of Middletown, was sent to prison for three years in a sentencing so emotional that even the judge had trouble composing himself.

Antol's 36 months in prison is to be followed by five years of special parole. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 20 to second-degree manslaughter with a vessel while under the influence.

The father of an 8-year-old, Antol turned slightly toward the family of Richard Franas Jr. of Hebron when he apologized.

"I would just like to say to the Franas family that Rich was a great man. He was a great husband, a great father. … I regret everything that has happened," Antol said, his voice cracking. Franas had two daughters.

"He was my best friend, and I loved him," Antol said.

On the day that Franas, 40, was fatally injured — April 21, 2012 — he, Antol and a third friend were at Mashapaug Pond at Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union, celebrating the start of the fishing season.

According to the warrant for Antol's arrest, Franas stopped at a liquor store on his way to the park and bought a bottle of Bacardi rum, a 30-pack of Natural Ice beer, Diet Coke and ice. Many of the 20 witnesses to the crash saw Antol drinking alcohol on April 21, and some said he looked drunk.

One witness, a friend of the two, describing a weekend of partying, said that Antol also was drunk on both Thursday and Friday nights, April 19 and 20.

On the night of April 20, the witness said he told Antol not to drive the boat back to the island where they were camping because he had been drinking. Antol "slammed the boat in gear" and "gassed it and I fell from the deck of the boat to the passenger section, causing me a lot of pain," said the witness, who is not identified in the warrant.

"Richard actually yelled at Mike at that time," the friend told state Environmental Conservation police.

On Saturday, April 21, Antol acted drunk again and "was driving the boat like a madman," the friend told investigators. "I actually went out with them for a short while but Mike kept trying to knock me off the boat by constantly revving the boat hard. … I did not want to put up with that nonsense so I stayed at camp," he said.

Late that night, Antol and Franas, who together ran a business that manufactures industrial equipment, left a peninsula campsite and got into the 17-foot boat. Antol revved the boat's Yamaha engine and sped by, looped around and headed back toward the peninsula at full throttle, another witness told police.

"The boat again comes dangerously close to the peninsula I was on," the witness said. "At this point the boat was still at a high rate of speed and I was anticipating a crash. Seconds later, I heard a loud crash."

Both men were injured, but Franas' injuries were severe. He had been thrown from the boat, hit a tree and fell into the water, prosecutor Matthew Gedansky told Judge Jorge Simón.

Investigators were able to determine that the boat had been traveling at 43.5 mph in a 10-mph, no-wake zone, said Gedansky, who showed the judge pictures that included the boat — which had a can of beer floating in it — and the lake.

Franas died on April 25 of asphyxia due to submersion, the prosecutor said, as members of Franas' family cried.

Franas' father, Richard Franas Sr., showed the judge a framed family photo; Mary Kozicki, the victim services advocate, propped it up on the prosecutor's table.

Then, Franas Sr. pulled out a computer printout of another photo. "By contrast, this is what we have today, a picture of a granite gravestone," he said as his voice broke.

Jeff Franas, Richard Franas Jr.'s brother, said that Antol "is remorseful now because the gig is up."

He asked the judge to sentence Antol to the full amount agreed to in a plea deal. The agreement called for five years in prison, but Antol's lawyer, John R. "Jake" Donovan, had the right to argue for less jail time — including none.

Donovan told the judge that he was not going to defend the actions of his client "because the judgment he displayed that night is indefensible." He pointed out that his client's health has been failing. Antol had open-heart surgery last fall and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, his therapist had said, and Donovan said he recently was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

"He's in a personal prison that has bars that are thicker than metal," the lawyer said.

He also told the judge that Richard Franas' widow, Stacey Franas, has said "she won't be provided with the closure that she needs with Michael incarcerated."

Simón said he lost sleep over the case.

"There are not many cases that cause me to wake up in the middle of the night," he said, but this one did. "I know what you are feeling because of a personal matter in my life," said the judge, who lost a son in a skiing accident.

Simon struggled to keep his composure and paused.

"There are no words that can take away the hurt when you find out in the middle of the night that your son, your brother has died. … Mr. Antol, your actions on April 21, 2012, were irresponsible. You, and only you, are the reason why Mr. Franas is not with you.

"In the end, it was your actions that killed your best friend."

Courant staff writer David Owens contributed to this story.


Copyright © 2014, The Hartford Courant

http://www.courant.com/news/connecti...0,149267.story

[Serious Offshore]

This story should be sent out to anyone, and everyone, that any of our members know who may not always make the best judgment's when operating a performance boat. I'm sure the person had no intention of killing his best friend, but the operation of a boat while under the influence sometimes carries repercussions that can affect the rest of a persons life. As much as we here at Serious may joke around about having fun on boating events, we must always make sure we never participate in operating a boat while under the influence of any form of alcohol or narcotic.

In our continuous efforts to make high performance boating as safe as possible, there is absolutely no room for making the choice to drink and drive. Always, repeat ALWAYS, make sure there is a responsible and experienced boater who can take the boat to its destination as a designated driver. Someone who has not participated in drinking alcohol, (or smoking pot if you live in Washington or Colorado), and that know they have the responsibility to keep everyone safe.

Do not ever take a chance on losing one of your friends!

[rschap1]

[Ratickle]

It is sad. I always try to make sure safety is #1, but this story tells how bad it can be to do stupid things.

[htrdlncn]

While Im sure being drunk was the biggest factor it sounds like the guy drove like an ass
most the time anyways..Freinds or not someone should have punched his lights out the first time he tried throwing
someone off the boat like that.

[Ratickle]

Good Point!!