Philadelphia Trial Lawyer, Who Has Urged A Ban On Duck Boat Operations, Comments On Ride The Ducks Philadelphia Abrupt Closure

05/10/2016 21:28

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Attorney Robert J. Mongeluzzi said Philadelphia tourists and pedestrians are safer now that Ride the Ducks Philadelphia has unexpectedly announced an immediate and indefinite suspension of service. Mr. Mongeluzzi, who last April renewed his call for a ban on the amphibious vehicle tours following a fatal accident in Boston involving the same type vehicle operated by a different company, stated, "Through our extensive experience representing victims of duck boat disasters we've determined those vehicles are fatally flawed; they're death traps on the water due to their hazardous canopy design and on land they are engineered to restrict the peripheral vision of the operator, creating significant blind spots. A city without duck boat tours is a safer city."

Ride The Ducks Philadelphia issued the following statement on its website today: As of October 5, 2016, Ride The Ducks Philadelphia has suspended operations indefinitely. Mr. Mongeluzzi said that while Ride the Ducks expressed 'regret' for closing, 'this is very good news for those who are concerned about the safety of tourists and pedestrians' Mr. Mongeluzzi's law firm, Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, P.C, successfully represented the two young tourists killed in the deadly July 7, 2010 Ride the Ducks Philadelphia Delaware River cruise (the Federal court litigation settled for $17 million). And the firm presently represents the family of Elizabeth Karnicki, PhD., who on May 8, 2015 was struck and killed by a Ride the Ducks duck boat while crossing a Center City Philadelphia street with her husband, Dr. Daniel C. Karnicki, during their visit to Philadelphia. The wrongful death lawsuit brought by SMBB seeks to hold Ride the Ducks responsible for the preventable tragedy. Andrew R. Duffy, of SMBB, said the closing will "have absolutely no impact on the litigation and, in fact, we are presently engaged in vigorous pre-trial discovery."