Duck boats won't run July 7 to honor crash victims

The duck-boat company involved in the accident that resulted in the drowning deaths of two Hungarian tourists last summer won't run tours on July 7 to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy.

Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16, were killed when a tugboat pushing the sludge barge The Resource rammed into DUKW 34. The duck boat, carrying 37 people, quickly sank in 55 feet of water.

Ride the Ducks will "take the day to remind our team about everything we learned that day and to honor the passengers and crew who were involved in the accident and the first responders that day," Chris Herschend said last week, after the National Safety Transportation Board determined the cause of the accident.

"Our prayers continue to be with all of those involved in this horrible tragedy, especially the families of Dora Schwendtner and Szabolcs Prem," Herschend said. "It is also a reminder to our team of what we learned, and our ongoing commitment to assure nothing like this ever happens again."

The NTSB found that mate Matt Devlin had been navigating the tugboat Caribbean Sea while using his cellphone and laptop because of a family emergency. He had also left his station in the upper wheelhouse of the vessel, and his view of the busy waterway was limited.

The board also said that Ride the Ducks failed to safely secure the surge-tank pressure cap, allowing the engine to overheat. That led DUKW 34 Capt. Gary Fox to stop the boat and drop anchor.

Lawyers for the families of the victims said in a statement that the day off isn't enough and that Ride the Ducks should "publicly acknowledge that their vessel overheated because their rookie mechanic failed to screw the radiator cap back on the night before the accident."