The Branson, Missouri based builder of the "duck boat" involved in a fatal crash last month has been named in a wrongful death lawsuit, lawyers for the victims said Tuesday.
On July 7, 2010 an amphibious duck boat filled with tourists sank after a collision with a barge on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, PA. Two Hungarian tourists died when the disabled duck boat was rammed and sunk by a 290-foot barge being powered by a tugboat.

Branson, Missouri -based Amphibious Vehicle Manufacturing, builder of the duck boat, was among the defendants named in the suit, which also include:
• Ride the Ducks of Philadelphia, which ran the tours;
• Norcross, Ga.-based Herschend Family Entertainment Corp., parent company of Ride the Ducks and owner of Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Mo.;
• East Brunswick, N.J.-based K-Sea Transportation Partners LP (NYSE:KSP), owner-operator of tugboat Caribbean Sea;
• and the city of Philadelphia, owner of the barge.
The complaint alleges that the amphibious tourist vessel was “blatantly unsafe,” while the tugboat was operating “blind and deaf.”
The action, the first complaint filed in the aftermath of the incident, includes a claim for punitive damages based on the alleged conduct of the defendants.
The wrongful death suit was filed in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
The complaint was filed by attorneys from Ronai & Ronai LLP of New York and Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky of Philadelphia.
Dora Schwendtner, 16, and Szabolcs Prem, 20, drowned in the accident. They’d been part of a church group visiting nearby West Chester. The suit was filed on behalf of the parents of the victims: Peter Schwendtner, Aniko Schwendtner Takacs, Sandor Prem and Gizella Prem.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have not yet released their findings.
A Herschend spokeswoman, Sharla Feldscher, said the company is reviewing the complaint. Other parties named could not be immediately reached for comment. Doug Oliver, a spokesman for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, said city officials had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on it.
Herschend Family Entertainment owns, operates and manages 24 themed properties, including Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.