The tugboat mate involved in that deadly duck boat crash last week is now relieved of duty and has gotten a lawyer.
The mate pleaded the Fifth Amendment when questioned by officials with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The man has not been identified by the tugboat’s operator, K-Sea Transportation, and continues to get paid by that company, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Inquirer also says, it’s believed the mate was at the helm when the tugboat, The Caribbean Sea, pushed the 250-foot barge, The Resource, over the stalled duck boat. The boat sank, leading to the death of two Hungarian students -- Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16.
Duck boat crew members tried to radio the Caribbean Sea, but the tugboat didn't respond to the calls, the NTSB said.
