Philly Ride the Ducks, Part IV: Tug Boat Pilot Gets Year + A Day
The pilot of the 250 foot-long sludge barge that ran over and sank a disabled "duck boat" in Philadelphia last year because he was distracted using his cell phone and laptop computer, was sentenced in US District Court to a prison term.
He admitted his culpable conduct by pleading guilty to a single count of "misconduct of a ship operator causing death".
His admission clears the way for lawyers suing for wrongful death on behalf of the families of the two young Hungarian tourists who drowned.
As mentioned in Philly Ride the Ducks: Part III - Wrongful Death Suits Filed, there was plenty of blame to be shared by several defendants.
Each family lost their only child in the incident.
