After a long (and rather drawn out) investigation, a settlement has been reached in the civil trial over the duck boat accident that occurred almost two years ago.
The families of the two Hungarian students who were killed will be splitting a lump sum of $15 million. The remaining survivors of the incident will be awarded $2 million to split amongst themselves.
The victims, who were visiting from Hungary, were on the duck boat on the Delaware River when it was run over by a barge. The tug boat operator was said to have been distracted by phone calls and text messages right before the collision. He later received a one year sentence for “misconduct of a ship operator causing death.”
Yesterday, the two sides suspended the trial for one day to negotiate a solution. The attorney for the victims’ families, Robert Mongeluzzi, told ABC News today, “No amount of money can replace their priceless only children.”
Sixteen year old Dora Schwendtner and twenty year old Szabolcs Prem were seen helping others survive during the accident before losing their lives. Dora is shown on video throwing her life jacket to a crew member.
While the families of the two students aren’t concerned with the money, they would like to see a memorial created for them at Penn’s Landing.
Photos vis Reuters and AP
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Michelle Mass
