DANBURY — Two fishermen from Putnam County filed notices of intent Monday to sue the Candlewood Lake Authority and five western Connecticut communities surrounding the lake in connection with a double fatal boat crash last summer in New Fairfield.

Attorneys for William D’Addio of Mahopac and Michael Iannucci of Continental Village joined in filing the papers in Danbury Superior Court with the lawyer representing the estate of Jason Wanat of Redding, Conn., who was killed in the accident on July 19.

Connecticut State Police said the tragedy occurred in the early morning hours when three men — Wanat, Kevin Sullivan of Bridgewater, Conn. and Richard Layton of New Milford, Conn. left a restaurant and took off at a high rate of speed in a 24-foot speedboat into the darkness of the lake.

Minutes later while speeding through a narrow channel the boat slammed into a small fishing vessel containing the two Putnam men.

Layton and Wanat were killed while Sullivan was critically injured. The two New Yorkers suffered less serious trauma and were both hospitalized for a time but have since recovered.

The attorneys said they were bringing suit against 48 parties in order to make the public aware how poorly the lake is patrolled. Attorney David Bennett, who is leading the charge, alleged that Candlewood Lake was the “wild ‘wild’ west. On the night of the tragic crash not a single police boat was on the lake. This is a public safety issue. Officials must either close the lake after dark or put patrols on it.”

The 5,000 acre lake is located at the Putnam-Fairfield County line and experienced its share of tragedies last summer with seven boating crashes and three drowning incidents.