Feds: Tug mate preoccupied when duck-boat went down(on cell with family emergency)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

The mate at the helm of the tug-barge combination involved in last year's deadly duck-boat crash was worried about a sick child and on his cell phone when the barge ran over the tourist vessel in the Delaware River, an investigative report released today said.

The report at the same time said neither the duck-boat crew nor its operators notified the Coast Guard, as required, that the vessel was adrift in the shipping channel before it got hit.

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One of the files, an investigative group report, said phone records showed the tug's mate was on a call he made to his mother's home when the barge smashed into the disabled duck-boat at 2:37 p.m. July 7.

The mate, who invoked his Fifth Amendment rights to remain silent to investigators, later told a tug company official that while on duty "he had been made aware of a situation in which his young son had experienced a life-threatening emergency during a medical procedure taking place that day and that he had become consumed with dealing with this family crisis," the report said.



Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20110307_New_details_expected_today_in_duck-boat_accident_probe.html

[BobbyBoring]

1. Sheesh

The DE river is one treacherous body of water. I can't understand why anyone would be that derelict in their duties. I've had a couple close calls in that body of water while paying 100% attention. If you can't handle the boat, get someone that can~

[LiberalFighter]

2. He should had known better.

If he couldn't do his job then he should had requested to be relieved. Otherwise, use better judgment when dealing with a family crisis.

The call was one of 21 to or from his parents or his wife in a little over two hours before the crash.

That in my opinion is excessive on his part. And he used poor judgment knowing that his job is not one that allows for distraction.

He should had figured that if he couldn't be relieved so he could be at the hospital that he needed to concentrate on his job at hand realizing that there wasn't anything he could do about it even if he was there. And let his family know that as soon as he could he would be there. I know it is tough but that is the way life is.

If the family cell phone plan has text messaging he could had requested them to just send text message indicating progress which would had been less distracting if kept one way. Just a thought.

[RamboLiberal]

3. I'm sorry for this man's family emergency but

this is one job he should not have been allowed to have his cell phone on his person when on duty.

[rtassi]

4. Well, glad you got that one all nicely wrapped up ... Except,

Where was the Captain?

[RamboLiberal]

5. The captain was off-duty

Probably in his cabin. I'll have to read the NTSB report but previous news story said they served 6 hours on, 6 hours off.

On edit - quick read of NTSB report. They were starting a 2 week of 24 hour days on the tug. Captain was off-duty and in his cabin to rest. They do 6 hour rotations.

Oh and use of personal cell phones while on duty were prohibited.

[Dogtown]

6. 100%, LF n/t

[keopeli]

7. The duckboat didn't notify Coast Guard they were stuck in a shipping lane?!

That's an unbelievable error. The first thing you do when you're in trouble is dial 911 (in this case, coast guard). Why didn't they? Every been in a shipping lane in a smaller boat? It's scary as hell, even when your boat is working fine.

They guy on his cell phone was wrong too, but he's not the only guy on the boat. We all have family crises. But, this looks like a way to make the big guys pay when responsibility seems to be shared.

What kind of captain doesn't call the coast guard when they're in trouble? Especially with a big load of passengers to look after. This seems equally as bad a mistake as being distracted by a family emergency, perhaps more so. Just my opinion, but seems odd to me.

[sofa king]

9. So it takes two idiots to break the safety system.

I guess that's a lot better than just one. But multiple idiots intersecting at the same time and place is a general type of problem that seems ever on the rise.

[RamboLiberal]

10. The Duck boat screwed up by not calling Coast Guard

But they had called their company for a tow. Probably figured in an enclosed waterway that their company would have the tow to them before the Coast Guard got there. And even if they had called the Coast Guard the accident may still have happened. After all the tug ignored both the duck & a ferry calling them to tell the tug he was on a collision course.

[RamboLiberal]

11. The mate on the tug should've called the Captain to the bridge

Better yet why didn't he call off if he kid was undergoing a medical procedure that day. The company said he could've done that and not been disciplined. They produced past records of crew taking off for family emergencies.

[MikeW]

8. this guys all done

27 calls to and from his cell in ~ 15 min?

The duck boat made 34 radio calls to the inbound tug which were recorded by the bridge authority all went

unheeded by the tug operator.