Med examiner says WWII vet accidentally drowned

BRIDGEWATER, Conn. (AP) - The Connecticut medical examiner's office has ruled that a 91-year-old World War II found dead in Lake Lillinonah in Bridgewater last week accidentally drowned.

The News-Times of Danbury reports that Franklin McColgin of Bridgewater was in a car accident and fell into the lake after stumbling out of his vehicle. State police say McColgin and his wife, 87-year-old Betty Lou McColgin, were returning from an afternoon of picnicking in Bridgewater Town Park when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree.

Betty Lou McColgin broke a leg in the accident and underwent surgery at Danbury Hospital.

Franklin was a retired commercial airline pilot who flew B-25s in Europe for the Air Force during World War II. He and his wife were married for 64 years.

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Information from: The News-Times