Duck boat being run down by barge - video

[Hwyl]

I found it a little disturbing.

http://news.yahoo.com/fatal-2010-phi...065529176.html

[wizbang 13]

lotta current!

[Lew Barrett]

A lot disturbing......

[John E Hardiman]

Read the report, a lot wrong on that tow.

http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2011/MAR1102.pdf

[wizbang 13]

the duck was anchored IN the channel and his horn was not working

[Hwyl]

He thought the engine was on fire and turned the ignition off. The air horn required the ignition to be on

[Tom Hunter]

The report comes down very hard against the use of personal cell phones while operating transportation equipment of any kind. After reading it, I think they are spot on. A lot did go wrong, but in a nutshell two people died because of a phone call that never should have happened in the first place. If you don't have time to read the report here is a quote from the very end of it:

"The mate said that sometime afterwards, he received another call from his wife saying that their child was being discharged from the hospital, and he was then able to speak with the child. He said that he was in tears and happy to hear the childs voice. He said that he then called his parents to inform them of the development. About this time, the accident occurred.
Asked if, at the moment of the collision, he was on his cell phone, the mate replied, ―Its very hard to say. I would have to say it wasI would have to say yes. Its hard to say, though. I didntI never saw the boat collide with the DUKW boat. . . .‖"

[Hwyl]

A sad example of how lots of things have to be wrong. The misdiagnosed fire on the DUKW, the18 year old DUKW mate abandoning ship and not helping with the life jackets, the mate on the tug not calling the skipper and steering from the lower position, where his obstructed view extended for a mile, and of course the cell phone use by both mates. The DUKW wired so the ignition has to be on for the air horn to work.

[Vince Brennan]

Hwyl's got it right.... a concatenation of errors that would defy "suspension of disbelief" in a movie plot pitch.

Stupid people errors on top of cowardice, on top of...

And to top it all off, we had another DUKW go spastic on us the other day. Luckily, the alarms worked, there was no barge coming and everyone got back ashore in one (rather wet from the waist down) piece.

It continues to amaze me that someone would rather scrimp on $100 worth of safety gear and then cry when faced with several millions in damages.

[Lew Barrett]

The DUKWs that abound on Lake Union are scary looking to me. No real appeal but then I'm not a tourist. I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same about a Duck Ride when visiting Philadelphia though. Better a cheese steak.....