Philadelphia Duck Boats Closed Today To Honor Victims

The Philadelphia duck boat company Ride the Ducks will close today in remembrance of the tragedy that resulted in the death of two tourists on the Delaware River exactly a year ago. This decision comes less than three weeks after the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the accident was caused by a tug boat operator who was distracted by his cell phone and laptop.

A spokesperson for Ride the Ducks said that the business would “take the day to remind our team about everything we learned that day and to honor the passengers and crew who were involved in the accident and the first responders that day.”

The Ride the Ducks duck boat sank quickly in 55 feet of water after it became stranded on the river and the distracted operator of the tug guided a 250-foot barge right into it. The distracted tug boat apparently had been on his cell phone and laptop tending to a family emergency and was also cited for steering from the lower wheelhouse where he could not see as well.

Additionally, the National Transportation Safety Board said that Ride the Ducks was also partly responsible for the accident. It found that a deck hand on the duck boat was also distracted by texting at the time of the accident and that the duck boat’s crew failed to secure the surge-tank pressure cap, which is what caused the engine to overheat and the boat to become stranded in the first place.

The families of the victims and their lawyers said in a statement that merely taking the day off from providing duck boat services isn’t enough. They said that Ride the Ducks should instead “publicly acknowledge that their vessel overheated because their rookie mechanic failed to screw the radiator cap back on the night before the accident.”

Often times with tragic accidents, more than one party that is sued because there is more than one party at fault. Usually, it then becomes a game of finger pointing and blaming to show that one party is more at fault than the other.

However, the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board will provide good evidence to help clear this up and establish fault.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, “Duck boats won’t run July 7 to honor crash victims,” Regina Medina, 6/29/2011.