Pennsylvania Personal Injury Blog

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, attorneys for the victims who died on July 7 in the Delaware River duck-boat accident are asking that the city and Coast Guard stop the duck boats from operating again. The victims, who were Hungarian tourists, died when Duck 34 was struck by a 250-foot-long barge being pushed by the tug Caribbean Sea.

The company, Ride the Ducks, wants to operate the amphibious boats this season and was working with the Coast Guard and the city by undergoing testing and mechanical inspections.

The lawyers representing the family members of the victims analyzed a 1999 duck boat accident in Arkansas and they found that the ducks’ design as well as its canvas canopies makes the vessels hazardous as a tourist craft.

The Coast Guard is continuing to directly collaborate with Ride the Ducks and the City of Philadelphia to make sure that safety issues are addressed.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that the Coast Guard require the Duck boats to install reserve buoyancy. These would keep even a vessel swamped with water afloat.

The Arkansas boating accident killed 13 people and the NTSB found that as the duck sank, the passengers’ bodies were forced into the overhead canopy, which acted like a net to entrap them.

CNN reported that rrecreational boating accident deaths are on the rise. The article said that the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety announced that deaths caused by recreational boating accidents have increased by 3.8 percent, with related injuries increasing by 0.8 percent.

Continue reading "Philadelphia Duck Boat Victims' Lawyer Wants the Vessels Grounded" »

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Ride the Ducks boat tour company suspended tours nationwide after one of its amphibious boats caught on fire before being hit by a barge and sinking on the Delaware River on July 7. The boat accident in Philadelphia killed two tourists from Hungary.

Dozens of duck boats tours are offered each day in several U.S cities. They are a popular Philadelphia tourist attraction and are based on amphibious WWII boats capable of land and sea travel. The boat involved in the PA boating accident suffered mechanical trouble and a small fire shortly after entering the water with a full load of sightseers. The 2-man crew had radioed for help and passengers were awaiting rescue when the huge barge hit them.

The Philadelphia Inquirer mentions that the passengers had to quickly secure lifejackets and abandon ship before the barge hit. The Inquirer also reported that the barge is owned by the city, but operated by a contractor, and hauls sludge to a Water Department recycling plant. It was being directed by a tugboat owned by K-Sea Transportation Partners. The tugboat crew said it was unaware of the Duck boat in its path.

The Ride the Ducks company is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment. In 1999, a duck boat sank in Arkansas after a bilge pump failed. Thirteen people aboard died in that accident.

The NTSB is investigating the cause of the Philadelphia duck tour boat accident and whether owner and/or operator negligence played a part in the duck boat’s failure to operate prior to the collision or the collision with the tug-barge combination. They are also investigating why the tugboat did not station a crew member as a lookout on the barge.

Continue reading "Two Tourists Killed in Philadelphia Duck Boat Tragedy" »

It has been a grueling last few days for the family members of the missing tourists of the Philadelphia duck boat barge collision. Philly.com reports that police believe they have found the bodies of both passengers who were killed in the Delaware River boat accident. A recovery vessel pulled the wreck of the duck boat from the bottom of river and the body thought to be the missing 20-year-old Hungarian tourist came to the surface as a tugboat towed away a recovery barge on the afternoon of July 9. The body of the missing 16-year-old Hungarian girl was retrieved earlier in the day before efforts started to retrieve the sunken duck vessel.

The tragic boating accident occurred just two days ago on July 7 when an unmanned barge collided with the duck tour boat, causing it to sink. Before the accident, a small fire broke out on the tourist vessel, causing it to come to a halt and wait for assistance.

Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Inquirer

As the National Transportation Safety Board still conducts its investigation of this devastating boating accident in Philadelphia, they will be examining possible protocol violations and the condition of the vessels. Investigators will also evaluate videos from cameras and recordings of radio transmissions in addition to interviewing survivors of the collision.

Continue reading "Delaware River Duck Boat Wreckage and Bodies of 2 Victims Retrieved" »

Almost 24 hours after a barge collided with an amphibious tour boat in Philadelphia, rescue workers continue to search for a 16-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man who are still missing. The New York Times reports that these missing individuals may be part of a tour group from Hungary.

As the Coast Guard still actively searches the river for the two people who have yet to be found, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are working to determine the cause of the barge crash.

The duck tourist boat accident in Philadelphia occurred when a barge struck the vessel, capsizing it and sending its 37 occupants into the Delaware River. Several people rushed to help rescue tourist boat passengers who were in a state of panic as they bobbed in the river.

The accident occurred at Penn’s Landing, which is a popular waterfront district in Pennsylvania. Before the crash took place, a fire on the small tourist vessel caused it to shut down. As the boat waited for assistance, it was struck by the unmanned barge and sank right away.

Boating accidents are entirely preventable. When operators of boats are improperly licensed or trained, or simply fail to fulfill their duty of driving a water vessel safely, collisions can occur and seriously injure innocent people. Boat passengers who are fortunate enough to survive a PA boating accident may have a long road to recovery ahead. Skilled Philadelphia boat accident lawyers help injured individuals hold negligent parties accountable so that full and just compensation can be obtained.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a duck tourist boat accident, barge collision, or another watercraft incident, the Pennsylvania boating crash attorneys at Cherry Fieger & Marciano, LLP await your call. Our knowledgeable injury lawyers have years of experience helping boat accident injury victims receive compensation for medical bills, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. Call us today at 888-684-7192 for a free consultation and to learn more about your legal rights.

On July 7th, 2010, an 800-foot long barge being pulled by a tugboat in the Delaware River collided with an amphibious tourist boat, causing it to overturn, consequently casting the 37 people onboard into the water. Two passengers are missing - a 16-year-old girl and the 20-year-old man - and nine people are being treated for minor injuries, according to a New York Times article. Numerous boats from the Coast Guard and both the Philadelphia police and fire departments rushed to rescue tour boat passengers soon after the collision took place. Within the first hour of the boating accident, 35 passengers were retrieved.

While a search has already begun for the submerged tourist vessel, at the time of the article’s release, state and federal investigators were on their way to begin an investigation of the Philadelphia boating accident. So far, investigators know that the tourist boat had stalled on the river after a fire broke out onboard and that the barge that struck the boat had been left unmanned and unmotored. Four tourist boat passengers have been transported to Hahnemann University Hospital where physicians are evaluating their conditions.

Tragic boating accidents similar to the Philadelphia barge tour boat collision should never occur in the first place. Boating collisions can lead to serious injuries and even death, especially when large vessels like barges collide with smaller boats. It is during such challenging times that boating accident victims and their families can rely on Philadelphia boating accident lawyers who have the experience necessary to successfully obtain compensation from negligent parties.

Continue reading "Barge Pulled by Tugboat Sinks Tourist Vessel in Philadelphia" »