Posted on 11/12/2018 5:11:01 PM PST by Kaslin
All that really matters is cha-ching.
DUKW boats were built with powerful bilge pumps. These get replaced with equipment that can’t keep them afloat.
A law that’s close to 200 years old could be a good candidate for jury nullification.
It all depends on what the prosecutor can prove. A heavy penalty may very well be deserved if the captain wasn’t fully appreciative of his responsibilities to keep passengers safe and was careless about his duties.
Is this a federal case? Is a lake in a state park deemed a “navigable waterway”?
The captain has full responsibilty for his crew and passengers. If you dont want to support that then dont ever go fishing with me because you’ll think Im and ass hole for taking care of your safety and isisting on my way or the highway. I was a sub sailor and I take boat safety very seriously. And the captian is 100% responsible for his crew and guests. you can delegate authority, you cant delegate responsibilty
IIRC these things aren't being used as they were designed.
It sounds to me like someone saw these 'boats', thought they were cheap, and could be re-purposed.
Cheap initial investment. High payout.
Didn’t he go down with the boat?
The work record/history of the captain, the pressure on employees to go whatever the conditions, seaworthyness of the boat, etc etc have to come into this. I’ve been in rough water in the Ozarks and else where. Lots to learn here before a verdict can be given. Circumstances are fickle, the Titanic, the Indianapolis, USS Thresher, USS Scorpion, the Edmund Fitzgerald, and the List goes on. The perfect storm or the perfect a??hole or the luck of the draw. Laying blame brings no one back. If negligence is proven, someone should pay. From clear out where I am, I just don’t know all the facts. Bless all who sail and those that perish.
170 years
That’s reportedly what happened here. KMOX in St Louis reported the original pump, capable of 250 or so gpm, was replaced with two smaller pumps, combined capability of 20-25 gpm. Just one factor in a large bowlful of wrong.
I was working within a mile of the accident on a ridge overlooking Table Rock the day this happened.
This was a particularly nasty storm that came in as fast as any in the Midwest. This was a bad situation due to the intensity and the sudden nature it hit with.
Combine that with the fact that these Duck boats are slow and the way they are built has so much weight that is “hanging” underneath (very heavy axles, very heavy wheels) of the hull. Imagine a boat with a large fraction of the weight hanging as an anchor under it and you can start to understand.
These things are very slow and lethargic traveling in the water. Add to that the big waves on a very low in the water sitting vessel and you have the perfect conditions for a tragedy.
Every since that day when I drive across the dam I think about those poor people who were just looking to enjoy the day with family and wound up losing there lives. That poor woman that lost so much of her family, I can’t begin to imagine her grief.
A Duckboat driver is required to have a 100 ton Master's license.
"Any vessel that is authorized to carry more than six paying passengers must have on board a captain who holds a Master license. Ferry boats, harbor tour boats, whale watching, and water taxis are examples of inspected vessels."
The boats design was to take water and shed it. What was changed, neglected, malfunctioned, or not utilized? Did the captain know of problems? These questions need to be answered. Go for a ride in my boat, I can answer questions about the safety. We don’t go until it’s safe and all questions are answered. The poor folks on that ride probably didn’t have a clue, maybe the person driving it didn’t either.
What a load of 'nure.
Now, he probably wants to.
Well said!
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