Maritime News

Distracted Tug Boat Operator Blamed For Deadly Tour Boat Accident

Posted on Jun 21, 2011

Last July, two Hungarian tourists were killed when a tug pushed a 250-foot barge into a stranded tourist vessel on the Delaware River. Today, National Transportation Safety Board officials have blamed the accident on operator distraction. The NSTB warns that distraction is becoming a growing problem at sea, just as it is on land and in air.

At the time of the offshore accident, the tugboat's first mate, Matt Devlin, was navigating from the lower wheelhouse of the tug where visibility is reduced. Devlin's child was ill and he was focused on his phone and his laptop. He did not see the stranded duck boat and did not respond to the duck's radio calls.

But, he wasn't the only operator who was distracted. A deckhand on the duck boat was texting on his cellphone and failed to notice the impending accident. Both men were violating their companies' rules banning the use of electronic devices while working.
The NTSB says this is just one of a growing number of maritime accidents caused by distracted vessel operators.

If you were injured in a maritime accident caused by operator distraction, contact the New Orleans maritime injury attorneys at The Young Firm, 866-938-6113.