Duck Boat Tour Operator sued for $100M (Atty: "Ban Duck Boats once and for all."

GCaptain ^ | 7/30/18 | D. Kruzman

[Paladin2]

Wear your life jacket.

[Skooz]

Slimy, ambulance chasing vermin smells a big cash payout.

[PGR88]

No, we need to ban thunderstorms.

[Alberta's Child]

A life jacket would not do much good if the boat sinks quickly in a squall. The hard roof actually traps passengers inside — even if they have life jackets on.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Sometimes it takes slimy ambulance chasers to end folly (despite the overkill) if those of sense won’t.

The duck boat is a dangerous design. It should be costly to insure. I could see modifications like duck boats with tops that pop off in case of mishaps.

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Ban ambulance chasers.

[HiTech RedNeck]

How about banning those who would take a duck boat full of people into one?

[JonPreston]

IMO, the aggrieved plaintiffs have a legitimate claim that will be limited to whatever value can be placed on the company, I’m certain they are an independent contractor, and the face value of the insurance they carry. There isn’t a $100 million here; maybe $5 million (+/-)

[CodeToad]

“Wear your life jacket.”

Not inside a Duck boat where all you would do is float to the top and get trapped.

[Toespi]

Any captain with any experience, the second a storm was in the area, would have called for all passengers to put on life jackets.

[freedumb2003]

Some of my most enjoyable tours of places I have visited briefly have been duck tours.

Now one greedy ahole will take them away from everyone.

[HiTech RedNeck]

All duck boats used for public rides ought to have poppable tops. It’s like if your car goes into a lake, it’s easier to get out if it was an open convertible.

[HiTech RedNeck]

No! Just modify the boats to have poppable tops.

[cuban leaf]

(Atty: “Ban Duck Boats once and for all.”

---

This is what a litigious society gets us. It’s not just a bunch of lawsuits. Activities get nanny-state-banned.

What’s next? Skydiving, skiing, surfing, scuba diving? I mean, someone could get hurt.

[CGASMIA68]

BS argument.

[cuban leaf]

The duck boat is a dangerous design.

---

Compared to what? How many people rode in duck boats the last 30 years vs how many people have been killed in mishaps?

I don’t think they are that dangerous. And they are definitely saver than a Harley Davidson on most roads, even with a helmet. And no, I don’t think we should ban motorcycles.

Life is risk. At least, it is if it’s worth living.

[freedumb2003]

>>No! Just modify the boats to have poppable tops.<<

Maybe but the insurance companies won’t go for it without a TON of tests, etc. And all the ducks (which are old WW II craft) will have to be retrofitted to industry standards, which will be expensive.

This will kill the duck industry.

[kaboom]

Already having your life jacket on would allow for you to work on escaping from the duck boat as soon as needed. Not having one on means that you have to take critical moments to put on the life jacket while sinking, or jump directly into the water and waves. It's a lot easier to put on a life jacket when it's not yet needed.

The duck boat roof is still a problem though.

[Kozak]

This is why we can’t have nice things.