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On July 7, 2010, a fatal accident involving a Philadelphia duck boat occurred on the Delaware River when a tugboat pilot led a 250-foot barge into a Ride the Ducks tourist boat that had stalled on the river. The collision caused the boat to sink in 55 feet of water, and two Hungarian tourists drowned.
The families of the two victims as well as the 18 other passengers on board the duck boat at the time of the accident filed a personal injury lawsuit against the companies that owned the vessels.
After close to two years of litigation, it was announced this week that the parties settled for $17 million. Reportedly, the families of the two people who were killed will split $15 million, while the surviving passengers will split the remaining $2 million.
Following the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the accident was caused by the tugboat pilot, who was distracted by his cell phone and laptop when the crash occurred. The NTSB also cited workers on the duck boat for being distracted and not following safety procedures. The tugboat operator pleaded guilty to one count of criminal misconduct in August and was sentenced to a year in prison.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Hungarian parents of the 20-year-old and 16-year-old who died in the accident attended the first two days of the civil trial, which began on Monday. They made their way back to Hungary on Monday, and were not available to comment on the settlement.
The attorney representing the victims said it was understandably difficult for the parents to attend the trial and hear testimony about what went on that tragic day. Although, the attorney said the parents of the 16-year-old Hungarian girl were heartened to see surveillance video that showed their daughter throwing a life preserver to an American, likely saving the person.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, “$17 million settlement in Delaware River duck-boat deaths,” Miriam Hill, May 10, 2012