Cell Phone Causes Boat Crash
Not only are cell phones dangerous on the road but also on the water. The fatal duck boat crash last summer was most likely caused by distractions from a cell phone.
PHILADELPHIA -- A government report on last summer's fatal duck boat crash in Philadelphia reveals the tugboat pilot in the crash was consumed by a family emergency and on his cell phone when the collision happened.
The National Transportation Safety Board report says the first mate told a tugboat company lawyer he had learned that day of a life-threatening medical emergency involving his young son.
The 4,400-page report released Monday also says the mate did not assign a lookout on the long barge being pushed by the tug.
The barge struck a disabled tourist boat, killing two Hungarian students and plunging 35 others aboard into the Delaware River on July 7.