Judge Asks Duck Boat Parties For Settlement Talks

A federal trial has been put on hold in the Philadelphia tour boat crash that killed two Hungarian students.

The judge presiding in the nonjury trial has asked the parties in the case to try to negotiate a settlement. The trial started Monday.

A tugboat-guided barge slammed into the amphibious duck boat in July 2010, killing two Hungarian students.

Their families have filed wrongful death lawsuits against K-Sea Transportation, of East Brunswick, N.J., which operated the tugboat pushing the barge upriver, and Norcross, Ga.-based Ride the Ducks, which operated the tour boat.

U.S. District Judge Thomas O'Neill wants the groups to negotiate. An attorney representing the Hungarian families says it's unclear how long talks will go.

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