Danbury mayor discharged from hospital after collapse

Boughton Boughton Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Danbury mayor discharged from hospital after collapse 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton collapsed from an apparent seizure and required CPR Thursday night during a Republican meet-and-greet event in Avon.

About 200 people were in attendance when Boughton, who is running for governor, suddenly fell, said Brian Ladouceur Jr., chairman of the Avon Republican Town Committee.

Boughton, 54, stayed overnight at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. He was discharged Friday morning.

After Boughton collapsed, rival gubernatorial candidate State Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, who is an allergist, and two emergency medical personnel attended the Danbury mayor, Ladouceur said. One physician administered CPR and cleared Boughton’s airway. Boughton was conscious and his color returned as he was put on a stretcher and taken away by EMS personnel, Ladouceur said.

“We had a really strong mood in the room and there was a great sigh of relief when we heard he was conscious,” Ladouceur said.

Last year, Boughton had a 12-hour surgery to remove a non-cancerous, lemon-sized tumor from behind his left ear. The mass had been causing Boughton dizzy spells and headaches, Hearst Connecticut Media reported at the time.

The incident happened around 8:30 p.m., after two hours of a program that was to feature three-minute speeches from about 20 gubernatorial, attorney general and treasurer candidates.

“It was just shocking,” said David Walker, of Bridgeport, one of the Republican gubernatorial hopefuls at the event, which was held at the North House, an Avon restaurant.

Walker recalled hearing someone shout for a doctor. He said a couple of the people in the audience attended to Boughton after he fell. An ambulance had been called while Boughton received CPR.

“People were stunned,” Walker said late Thursday night. “We cleared the room to give the EMS people room to work.”

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, who is also in the governor’s race, said that Boughton collapsed about 15 to 20 feet away from him.

“It was tough to watch,” he said late Thursday night. “It gives you pause when you see someone you’ve known for years like that.”

Lauretti recalled he and Boughton played golf together for years.

“It was at the end of the meet-and greet,” Lauretti said. “We’re all standing around socializing and the next thing we knew it, there was a man down.”