Ship Operator Pleads Guilty in Philadelphia Ride the Ducks Wrongful Death Case
A new development has come about in what is becoming an epic Philadelphia personal injury case. The first mate of the tugboat found to be responsible in last Summer’s Ride the Ducks accident that killed two Hungarian tourists has plead guilty.
Matthew R. Devlin, 35, of Catskill, N.Y. plead guilty in Philadelphia federal court to misconduct of a ship operator causing death this Monday – a maritime offense equivalent to involuntary manslaughter.
According to reports, Devlin was talking on his cell phone with his wife when the barge his vessel was towing smashed into a Philadelphia Ride the Ducks tourist boat. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that Devlin was distracted by the cell phone as well as by laptop use prior to the accident, before which he had just received news that his 5-year-old son had suffered potential complications during routine eye surgery.
Student tourists Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16, were killed during the accident. Members of the victims’ families have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the city of Philadelphia, the operators of both vessels, and others. A total of 37 passengers were ousted into the Philadelphia harbor during the incident. Fortunately, most of them only sustained minor injuries or no injuries at all.
The accident caused Ride the Ducks operations to be temporarily ceased in the Philadelphia harbor for more than one year while safety investigations went underway and new precautions were put in place.
Matthew Devlin’s coast-guard-issued credentials have been permanently revoked. Devlin will face an advisory sentencing guideline range of 37-46 months in prison. The U.S. District Court Judge Legrome D. Davis is scheduled to hear the case on November 1, 2011.
