Barge Runs Down Disabled Duck Killing Two

How many times have you seen small recreational boats dart in front of slow-moving commercial vessels, just for "the fun of it."? The pictures above show the tragic consequences if the small boat loses power. The excursion Duck in the picture above had engine failure in the Delaware River last Saturday and could not get out of the 250' barge's way. Emergency radio calls to the tug went unanswered. Commercial vessels have limited maneuverability and visibility -- even if someone is paying attention at the helm.

A barge being propelled by a side tug (out of the picture to the right) ran down a tourist excursion amphibian boat built on the concept of the famous WW II American Duck designed by Rod Stephens. Thirty-five of the passengers "popped up" from under the barge according to eye witnesses. All were wearing PFDs.

See local TV news video of the accident...

MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press Writer--

PHILADELPHIA — The crew of a stalled tourist boat said they got no response when they radioed a tugboat pushing a barge toward them, and a worker aboard the tugboat has invoked his right not to be interviewed about the fatal crash, federal authorities said Monday.

The collision last week capsized the tourist vessel, dumped 37 people overboard and killed two young Hungarians.

The tug's crew included a master, a mate, an engineer and two deck hands, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The mate "exercised his Fifth Amendment right and refused to meet with investigators" over the weekend, the NTSB said.

One of the deck hands was asleep at the time at the time of the crash, but he was apparently not on duty, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway told The Associated Press.

Radio Warning

The duck boat's two crew members both said their radio calls to the tug "received no response," the NTSB said. The agency also interviewed others aboard different boats who said they recalled hearing the duck boat's radio calls.

The tug, named The Caribbean Sea and operated by K-Sea Transportation Partners of East Brunswick, N.J., was pushing an empty city-owned barge.

Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for the company, declined to identify the mate who refused to be interviewed.

"If an individual chooses to take the Fifth Amendment, that's fully their right," Wilson said.

The company provided legal counsel to all five employees involved, but he did not immediately know the name of the lawyer representing the employee who refused to be interviewed. The company itself was cooperating fully with the probe, Wilson said.

The amphibious duck boats are a popular way for tourists to see the sights of Philadelphia from both land and water. The duck boat in Wednesday's accident was in the water when an apparent mechanical problem left it without power and in the path of the barge.

Two Hungarians visiting Philadelphia as part of a language program, 20-year-old Szabolcs Prem and 16-year-old Dora Schwendtner, were missing for two days before their bodies were found.

Ten other passengers suffered minor injuries.

Wilson has also declined to say whether the crew had a lookout on the barge or whether their radar was working properly, citing the ongoing NTSB investigation.