Posted on 07/31/2018 6:41:26 AM PDT by golux
...The boats, modeled on the amphibious landing craft used in the D-Day invasion, have a checkered history including more than three dozen fatalities on water and land, including the Branson sinking, according to the complaint.
“This tragedy was the predictable and predicted result of decades of unacceptable, greed-driven, and willful ignorance of safety by the Duck Boat industry in the face of specific and repeated warnings that their Duck Boats are death traps for passengers and pose grave danger to the public on water and on land,” the complaint said.
Robert Mongeluzzi, an attorney for the families, told a news conference, “The quest for justice includes doing everything within our power to ban duck boats once and for all,” according to a statement.
Mongeluzzi represented the families of two people killed when a duck boat crashed into a barge and sank in Philadelphia in 2010, winning a $17 million settlement.
Seven other members of Coleman and Ly’s families were killed in the incident, and Mongeluzzi’s law firm said in the statement that its lawyers plan to file lawsuits on behalf of other victims.
Ripley Entertainment declined comment on the lawsuit, but said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident.
The suit alleges that Ride the Ducks endangered passengers by letting the boat out onto the water after the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area, and that passengers were not told to put on life jackets. It also cites a 2017 report from a private inspector who concluded that duck boats were prone to engine failure in bad weather...
(Excerpt) Read more at gcaptain.com ...
Winds up to 70 mph were forecast. There is nothing magic about the words “small craft advisory”. If there’s a forecast chance of 70 mph winds, a prudent boat operator makes it his business to know this, and does not send minimally seaworthy craft full of unsuspecting tourists into the water.
However, I can see the danger if they get caught in a pop up storm while in the middle of the river. Excellent weather radar aps are available for all phones for free so keeping track of the weather is pretty simple.
That is assuming everything is functioning properly. Maybe the app they were using wasn't providing real time data for some reason and they thought they had more time to "beat" the storm safely. Reports indicate they knew about the storm. Why they decided to proceed in going into the lake will certainly be a major focus of the investigation.
And design them to float in rough water.
Is the boat involved in the incident a modified military DUKW or a newer manufacture?
DUKW stands for [not an acronym] manufacturer's code for a type of military wheeled amphibious landing-craft (D means 1942, U means utility (amphibious), K means all-wheel drive, W means 2 powered rear axles).
Heh, I have watched “Jackass” so I KNOW how dangerous they can be!
no, they are NOT all WW2 old boats. there are plenty that are being made every day. Get your facts straight.
no, they are NOT all WW2 old boats.
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But this one was.
July 20, 2018 07:11 PM
The amphibious vessel that sank Thursday night at Table Rock Lake, killing 17 people aboard,
was a relic of World War II — built the same year U.S. soldiers set foot on Normandy Beach.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the name of the boat that sank was Stretch Duck 07, a
33-foot-long vessel built in 1944. DUKW boats — commonly called Ducks — were built to
quickly deliver cargo from ships at sea directly to the shore, driving onto the beach.
There are roughly 22 of the boats operating in the state, said Lt. Tasha Sadowicz,
spokeswoman for the Coast Guard’s regional office in St. Louis. The majority of the
other Stretch Ducks were also built in 1944 or 1945, according to Coast Guard records.
Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article215268300.html#storylink=cpy
>>no, they are NOT all WW2 old boats. there are plenty that are being made every day. Get your facts straight.<<
I have been on many and they all were WWII craft. As was pointed out this one was.
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