Securely Travel Travel Securely
UPDATE: 30 July 2018 - NTSB has issued a preliminary report re the tragedy involving the duck boat in Branson, Missouri.
The catastrophe in Branson, Missouri involving “Ride the Ducks” boat which claimed the lives of 17 people serves as a reminder. It is far too late for some, but not for you. Don’t ride the Duck boat. Period.
NBC news tells us that it was a tomb … listen to this broadcast. Then read the rest of this piece, because this safety issue is neither new nor hyperbole.
The Los Angeles times reports that the Duck boat was poorly engineered. Engineered by someone without any engineering background. While this alone is not a disqualifier, as many don’t have a formal education who are experts in various fields, in this instance, the Coast Guard advises: “U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Chad Saylor confirmed that the Missouri duck boat was a “stretch duck.” He said the boat was last inspected on Nov. 29, 2017, and was found “fit for route and service.”
Court records show duck boat in Missouri disaster was designed by entrepreneur with no engineering training https://t.co/YXjJ07sWli pic.twitter.com/6L4ZkkeFg0
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 24, 2018
Let’s look at past Duck boat incidents
Seattle - September 2015 - Ride the Ducks
In 2015 - A Duck boat had an accident while on land, going over the Aurora Street bridge in Seattle. The accident resulted in 4 dead and 23 injured. Note that this is the same design of the boat which sank in Missouri.
The law firm which handled many of the cases associated with this accident Stritmatter Kessler which involved driver negligence, corporate negligence, product liability, vehicle crashworthiness, and more. The tour company admitted to 463 motor safety violations, of which 159 were found to be acute or critical to protecting public safety.
Philadelphia - July 2010 - Ride the Ducks
In this instance, the boat was in the river and collided with a barge. The boat, according to reports, was dead in the water. None of the occupants were wearing Personal Flotation Device (PFD) though there were PFD’s on the Duck boat. Immediately after the accident, Coast Guard responded and occupants escaped from the boat, with PFDs. Sadly, two college students died.
2002 NTSB Recommendations
In May 1999, the Duck Boat “Miss Majestic” sank on Lake Hamilton, in Arkansas. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a thorough examine of the situation and found many shortcomings with the design of these “tourist boats,” and the NTSB issued a report on Duck Boats in April 2002. The report highlights numerous other sinkings
The first recommendation from the NTSB review?
“removal of canopies for waterborne operations or installation of a Coast Guard-approved canopy that does not restrict either horizontal or vertical escape by passengers in the event of sinking”It should be noted, 30 operators of amphibious vehicles* were ordered by the NTSB in the year 2000 (yes 18 years ago):
The Branson tragedy is under investigation. The Duck boat should not have been on the water in such severe weather. Wear your PFDs! The 1999 accident in Arkansas saw the boat sank in 15 seconds. Not enough time to find and secure your PFD.
Please don’t ride the Duck Boats.
