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One of the stipulations in a settlement stemming from a fatal 2016 crash involving a duck boat is that the driver will be permanently barred from working as a duck boat operator for the tour company.

Additional stipulations of the settlement between Boston Duck Tours Ltd. and the Suffolk County District Attorney include hiring an independent firm to provide an annual evaluation of their safety measures and altering the tour route each year on the anniversary of the fatal crash.

Allison Warmuth was riding on her scooter with a friend near the corner of Beacon and Charles streets on April 30, 2016, when she was struck by the much larger duck boat. Her friend rolled out of the way without injury, but Warmuth was killed.

The tour company agreed to comply with the terms of the agreement thought at least 2022. The DA said that any violation of the agreement before that time could result in a new pursuit of criminal charges.

"We are pleased we were able to come to an agreement with the District Attorney’s Office. Boston Duck Tours has always been and will continue to be a responsible community partner with a strong commitment to safety,” said Cindy Brown, CEO of Boston Duck Tours. “We will continue to work hard to constantly improve every facet of our operation.”

The company’s technological and procedural changes include adding a second employee to each tour, adding cameras and proximity sensors to the vehicles and altered rules for driver hiring and training.

Woman killed when hit by duck tour boat

A 29-year-old woman was killed and her passenger was injured after the scooter she was driving was struck by an amphibious sightseeing vehicle in downtown Boston on Saturday.

The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. right near public park Boston Common when the vessel, known as a duck boat, collided with the scooter.

The woman and her male passenger were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where the woman died from her injuries, according to Boston police Officer Rachel McGuire. The passenger suffered non-life threatening injuries, McGuire added.

There were about 30 passengers on the duck boat when the crash happened, McGuire said. There were no other injuries.

Started in 1994, Boston Duck Tours float on the Charles River and stop at Boston historical spots like Bunker Hill, Faneuil Hall and Trinity Church.

Bob Schwartz, a Boston Duck Tours spokesman, said in an email that the group is cooperating with police and trying to obtain video footage to see what happened.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. No further details were immediately available.

This is not the first mishap on the nation's roads and waterways involving duck boats.

A duck boat crashed into a charter bus, killing five passengers on the bus last year in Seattle. Two Hungarian tourists were killed in 2010 when a sightseeing duck boat was hit by a barge on the Delaware River near Philadelphia.

Also in Philadelphia, a Ride the Ducks vehicle struck and killed a woman in 2015 who witnesses say was crossing the street, distracted by her cellphone.

Duck boats were first used by the U.S. Army when it deployed thousands of amphibious landing craft during World War II that were known then by their military designation, DUKW. Once the war was over, they were used by civilian law enforcement agencies and also converted to sightseeing vehicles in U.S. cities. The DUKW designation was replaced with the duck boat moniker that is used by various tour companies.

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A look back at past deadly duck tour incidents

From a 1999 accident on an Arkansas lake to a 2016 crash in Boston.

Families are gathering in Branson, Missouri, to mourn the deaths of 17 people -- including children -- who were killed when a tourist duck boat capsized in a lake during severe thunderstorms Thursday night.

The crash in Table Rock Lake isn't the first time a duck boat tour has turned deadly. From a 1999 accident on an Arkansas lake to a 2016 crash in Boston, here are some previous fatal accidents involving duck boats in the United States:

1999: Arkansas

Thirteen people were killed when a duck boat with 21 people on board sank on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1999, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The boat was about 7 minutes into its tour when it sank by its stern and plunged 60 feet to the bottom of the lake, the NTSB said. Seven passengers and the operator escaped.

The NTSB determined the cause of the accident to be inadequate maintenance of the vessel, which was built by the U.S. Army in 1944.

(MORE: 13 dead, including children in Missouri duck boat accident)

(more: how the missouri duck boat capsize unfolded amid weather warnings), 2010: philadelphia.

A tugboat-guided barge hit a duck tour boat on the Delaware River in 2010, killing Szaboolcs Prem and Doran Schwendtner, two Hungarian students who were visiting the U.S., ABC station WPVI in Philadelphia reported.

The tugboat pilot, Matthew Devlin, had been talking on his cellphone at the time and was sentenced to one year in prison, WPVI reported.

2015: Philadelphia

Elizabeth Karnicki, a tourist from Texas, was walking in Philadelphia during the evening rush hour when she was hit and killed by a duck boat in May 2015, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Karnicki's husband argued duck boats have large blind spots causing the drivers to not see pedestrians; he sued the company and the case was settled, The Kansas City Star reported.

2015: Seattle

Five college students were killed and many others were injured in a duck boat crash in Seattle in September 2015.

The boat was driving on Aurora Bridge when the axle broke, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a bus carrying college students, The Associated Press said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Ride the Ducks International violated the law by not telling regulators of a safety defect in the duck boats' front axle and by not issuing a recall, the AP reported.

Ride the Ducks International agreed to pay penalties, calling it "an unprecedented failure," the AP reported in 2016.

2016: Boston

Allison Warmuth was riding a scooter in Boston when she was hit and killed by a duck tour boat in 2016, according to ABC affiliate WCVB in Boston.

After the crash, duck boats in the city added second workers to all its tours, reported WCVB. The boats also added new equipment including an extra camera to the tours and banned drivers from narrating during the rides, WCVB said.

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Patriots udfa tracker: center, cornerback added after draft, police: woman hit, killed by duck boat in beacon hill.

Police are investigating a fatal accident involving a Boston Duck Tours duck boat in Beacon Hill this morning, officials say.

A 29-year-old woman riding a Vespa scooter was killed in the accident, which was first reported around 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Beacon and Charles streets, Police Commissioner William B. Evans said.

A man riding on the back of the scooter suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was rushed by ambulance to Mass General Hospital. 

The 30 people who were on the duck boat at the time of the crash are currently being interviewed by the department's homicide unit, Evans said.

Roddy Mpele, 21, of Boston, was selling baseball caps at a stand on Boston Common when he saw the female victim laying flat on Beacon Street, her helmet tossed off.

“She was bleeding all over her face,” Mpele recalled. “They tried to do CPR. It was a dream. I didn’t know what to say."

Morgan Ralph, 30, of Beacon Hill, had walked onto the corner of Beacon and Charles streets when he saw a group of EMTs surrounding the victim.

"It was awful. We were just setting off for a day of shopping," Ralph said. "Her life was snuffed out. It's tough to swallow."

Bob Schwartz, president of Boston Duck Tours, told The Herald the driver of the duck boat has been with the company for seven to eight years and was "very experienced."

He said this is the first fatal accident that has occurred with one of his drivers since the company opened in 1994.

The company, Schwartz said, is working with Boston police to figure out what happened.

“We’re not exactly sure what happened at this point,” Schwartz said. “We’re still trying to piece everything together with police.”

He said the company will be issuing an official statement later today.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Developing…

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Duck Boat And Car Crash In Downtown Boston

August 2, 2018 / 5:00 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) - Investigators are now trying to determine who was at fault when a Boston duck boat collided with a white Audi at the intersection of Congress and State Streets in Boston.

It was a crash that grabbed a lot of attention when witnesses heard the screeching of tires. They say it appears the duck boat and the car were merging in the same lane on State Street and both clearly couldn't fit.

"It didn't look like he could stop in time, looked like he needed more room to stop so he was skidding," said Isaac Krokovsky who was standing nearby with his family when the accident happened.

It was then the duck boat struck the back of the car and pushed it at least ten feet, as witnesses say the duck boat driver tried to take evasive action. "The duck boat hit the back of the car and made it twist. Then the duck boat carried the car up the street in a T-bone kind of thing," said witness Jennifer Krakovsky.

Police say the driver of the car suffered minor injuries as traffic came to a standstill in the busy area near the old statehouse.

The timing of the accident comes when duck boats, a popular tourist attraction, are under increasing scrutiny. In Boston, safety changes were made following the April 2016 death of Allison Warmuth who was fatally struck by a duck boat as she rode a moped.

Scrutiny has also increased since the tragic drowning of 17 people in Branson, Missouri.

James Hall, former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, believes the tours put families at risk every day.

"Not fully a boat, not fully a bus. But clearly unsafe both on water and on land," Hall told WBZ-TV's Juli McDonald. "This vehicle which was designed really for military landings, should be banned for recreational use in these communities across the country."

At the scene in Boston, witnesses say it was fortunate the accident was slow moving. Passengers were put on another duck boat and taken from the scene, while the driver was taken to the hospital to be evaluated.

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Deadly accident in 2016 prompted safety changes for Mass. duck boats

A duck boat that capsized on a lake in Branson, Missouri Thursday has left  at least 13 people confirmed dead and others still reported as missing.

The cause of the accident is under investigation but a line of thunderstorms was reported in the area at the time the duck boat, run by tour operator Ride the Ducks, capsized.

BREAKING: This is video of what the waves were like on Table Rock Lake in Missouri tonight when the duck boat capsized. Man in this video says, “Never quite seen it this bad. Boats can’t get in. Boats can’t get out.” (Credit: Lakeside Resort) pic.twitter.com/HxB8aY2u0a — Mike Saccone (@mikesacconetv) July 20, 2018

WATCH LIVE Missouri officials giving update on Branson duck boat accident that left at least 13 dead. Posted by Boston 25 News on Friday, July 20, 2018

The duck boat involved in this accident is similar to the amphibious vehicles that operate around Boston.

Boston Duck Tours changed their safety policies in 2016 after one of their vehicles hit and killed a woman riding a scooter near Boston Common.

A new 2017 law requires all duck boat operators to separate the responsibilities of driver and tour guide, and the vehicles must be equipped with blind spot cameras and proximity sensors.

A spokesman for Boston Duck Tours said in a statement, "The safety of our guests and our employees is our number one priority and will continue to work closely with our partners at the US Coast Guard, Department of Public Utilities, Boston Hackney Division and Department of Transportation to ensure we maintain these safety standards."

The statement also hinted at weather conditions as a possible factor in the crash noting that "it would not be prudent for us to comment or speculate as to what may have caused the incident [in Missouri], but extreme weather seems to have been a major factor."

Boston Duck Tours says it operates rain or shine, but notes in its policy that "we may be forced to cancel either the water portion or the entire tour itself under severe weather conditions." The policy also says that full refunds are given if the entire tour must be canceled due to weather, which are "at the discretion of the Dispatcher based on the current weather conditions at the time of the tour."

Boston Duck Tours issued the following statement to Boston 25 News:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all those involved in yesterday's tragedy in Branson, MO.  The incident is currently under investigation, so it would not be prudent for us to comment or speculate as to what may have caused the incident, but extreme weather seems to have been a major factor.   We continuously monitor the weather conditions from our three locations.  We do not allow our DUCKs to go into the Charles River if there is lightning in the area or if conditions are forecasted to exceed our operating parameters set by the US Coast Guard.  Our Certificates of Inspection (COI), issued the U.S. Coast Guard, state we may not operate if winds are over 25 knots or waves over one foot. At Boston Duck Tours the safety of our guests and our employees is our number one priority and will continue to work closely with our partners at the US Coast Guard, Department of Public Utilities, Boston Hackney Division and Department of Transportation to ensure we maintain these safety standards.   Thanks, Bob

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RMV: Duck Boat Driver Had Lengthy Driving Record, Numerous Violations.

By alysha palumbo and ally donnelly and marc fortier • published may 2, 2016 • updated on may 3, 2016 at 4:18 pm.

The driver of the duck boat that collided with a motorized scooter on Saturday, killing the woman who was driving it, had a lengthy driving record featuring numerous violations, according to information provided by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

The driving record includes 10 speeding violations, one accident, and several more minor violations over a 22-year period. In all, 38 incidents are listed dating back to 1994.

The driver, identified as Victor Tavares by the RMV, has had his license revoked indefinitely, which the DOT said is standard operating procedure for a fatal accident. Tavares did have a valid license to operate the duck boat at the time of the accident.

In a statement, Boston Duck Tours says the company regularly obtains information from the RMV regarding drivers, including when they're hired, and say his most recent driving record check was in March.

"Given the discrepancies between the information we received from the DMV and the information reported, we will be contacting the respective agencies... and we will provide any updated information," the statement read.

Allison Warmuth, 28, was killed when the motorized scooter she was driving collided with a Boston Duck Tours vehicle Saturday on Beacon Hill. A male passenger on the scooter suffered minor injuries. No one on the tour was hurt.

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Boston Duck Tours issued a statement Monday defending the company's safety record in the wake of calls from some corners to ban duck boats from city streets altogether.

"For 22 years, the people of Boston have accepted Boston Duck Tours as part of the community. We value this unique relationship and take safety very seriously," Boston Duck Tours CEO Cindy Brown said.

Brown said Boston Duck Tours have carried more than 10 million guests since 1994, and its drivers go through a "rigorous" 8 to 10 week training period focusing on the operation of the vehicles and safety procedures. All drivers are also subject to random drug testing.

She said all drivers must hold a Class B Commercial Driver's License, a Boston Police Hackney Sightseeing License, a Cambridge Jitney License, a United States Coast Guard License and must be trained in first aid and CPR.

All duck boats are inspected annually by the Coast Guard and the Department of Public Utilities and daily by Boston Duck Tours mechanics.

"Safety has always been our number one priority," Brown said.

In the last five years, there have been several deadly duck boat accidents across the country, but this is a first for the Boston company that started tours in the city.

Saturday's accident remains under investigation by police, but so far no charges have been brought against the tour driver.

Philadelphia attorney Robert Mongeluzzi said the accident could have been avoided and he's asking that duck boats be banned across the country.

"This proves again that duck boats are dangerous on land and on water," he said.

Mongeluzzi represented the families of victims in two deadly accidents in Philadelphia.

In 2010, two tourists drowned after a disabled "Ride the Ducks" boat was run down by a barge. Last year, a woman from Texas was hit and killed by also by a "Ride the Ducks" boat while crossing a street in Philadelphia.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is also speaking out as police continue to investigate the tragic accident.

"I think that this is still under investigation this case, we'll see what happens and if an action has to be taken we'll take an action," Walsh said.

Walsh said while some may question why World War II-era amphibious vehicles make sense in a city with tight, busy streets and older infrastructure like Boston, he said there are 18 wheelers in the city every day.

"We know we don't have a big city, we have a small city with small roads, so we ask people to be very careful," he said.

But as to whether it makes sense to have the duck tour drivers both giving the tour and driving the vehicle, Walsh wasn't ready to say whether that could have played a role in this accident.

"This case hasn't been fully vetted through yet, so until I see a final report of what exactly happened here, then I'll be able to make more comment on it," he said.

The Coast Guard says it last inspected the Duck Boat involved in the fatal accident on March 17, 2015. It passed inspection at that time.

1 killed, 1 hurt in duck tour boat crash in downtown Boston

A woman was killed after being struck by a duck tour boat in downtown Boston Saturday morning.

Police said a duck boat with 30 people onboard struck the woman, who was riding a motorized scooter, at the intersection of Charles Street and Beacon Street. The scooter then became stuck underneath the duck boat.

"It’s an unfortunate accident, it appears both vehicles were on Charles Street on their way up towards the State House on Beacon," Commissioner William Evans said.

Both people on the scooter were taken to Mass General Hospital. The driver, a woman in her 20s, was pronounced dead. Her boyfriend, who was her passenger, is expected to be OK. Both of them were wearing helmets.

The crash is under investigation and police said it has not been ruled a homicide yet.

The identities of both victims have not been released.

Statement from Boston Duck Tours:

(Copyright (c) 2016 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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After 2nd duck boat crash this year, a renewed call for change

A woman walking in the Back Bay was struck by a duck boat shortly before noon Sunday afternoon, prompting renewed calls for legislation providing safeguards to prevent more accidents involving the lumbering amphibious vehicles.

The unidentified woman was struck at the intersection of Newbury and Clarendon streets, police said, where she had apparently been walking with her husband and son. She was treated at Tufts Medical Center for injuries that police said were not life-threatening.

The woman “was crossing contrary to the walk signal as the duck boat was turning left from Newbury onto Clarendon,” Boston police said in a statement Sunday. “She came in contact with the vehicle which caused her to fall to the ground. . . .”

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The driver of the duck boat, which was named South End Sara, remained at the scene of the crash, which occurred at 11:25 a.m., police said. No citations were issued.

The incident comes in the midst of a push for additional regulations of the water-to-land vehicles, particularly by the parents of 28-year-old Allison Warmuth , who was killed in April by a Boston Duck Tours vehicle while riding her scooter in Beacon Hill. That accident focused concerns in part on whether the duck boats’ design and size make it difficult for the driver to see pedestrians and other, smaller vehicles.

After Sunday’s crash, Ivan Warmuth, Allison’s father, said the city should halt the Boston Duck Tours until safety changes are made.

“We’re very sorry to hear about this, obviously,” said Warmuth, who went to the scene with his wife, Martha, after they learned about the crash. “It’s an indicator that what we are asking for in the Senate bill is needed. The city should shut down the duck boat operators until they eliminate distracted driving. Even if it’s not a serious accident, it could have been.”

Warmuth continued, “There are many close calls that don’t get reported; any one of them could have been a tragedy.”

The Warmuths testified at a legislative committee hearing Thursday about safety improvements, along with Kevan Moniri, who was on the back of Allison Warmuth’s scooter at the time of her fatal crash.

Harry-Jacques Pierre, associate vice president with Rasky Baerlein, a public relations firm retained by the tour group, said in a statement Sunday that the company was grateful to hear from police that the injuries of the woman struck Sunday were not life-threatening.

Pierre said Boston police told the company “that an eyewitness at the scene reports that our vehicle had the right of way and the pedestrian crossed against the signal.”

The driver has had a clean driving record for the past 10 years, Pierre said, and has not been involved in any accidents since he started working for Boston Duck Tours in February. The company declined to identify the driver.

Moniri said Sunday’s crash reiterates the need to toughen oversight.

“These are vehicles going from tourist site to tourist site, which are naturally some of the heaviest-trafficked parts of town,” Moniri said after being informed of the crash. “And they are doing so with a distracted driver narrating a tour, while operating a vehicle with worse blind spots than any vehicle on the road.”

Brendan Kearney, a spokesman for Walk Boston, a nonprofit that advocates for pedestrian safety, said duck boats are not suitable to urban environments where people are walking, biking, and driving.

“I’ve never sat in the driver’s seat of a duck boat, but I’m sure they are very difficult to drive,” he said. “They are vehicles that were meant to storm the beaches of Normandy. They were designed to do a very different thing than they are used for today.”

Martha Warmuth, mother of the woman killed in April, said she was troubled to hear that another person had been injured. “A lot of people don’t understand about the blind spots. We are very concerned for this person who was hit,” she said. “We call upon the city to take immediate action.”

Bonnie McGilpin, spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh, said that officials are “working with state and local partners to see if there are additional steps that should be implemented to increase the safety of these vehicles.”

“The mayor’s thoughts go out to the woman injured this morning,” McGilpin said.

State Senator William Brownsberger, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and cosponsor of legislation intended to address the issue of distracted driving on sightseeing vehicles, said he was saddened to hear about Sunday’s crash.

“This frightening incident only underscores the changes we are trying to make,” he said. “It’s crystal clear to me that no one can safely operate a large tour vehicle and narrate a tour at the same time, period. It’s especially true in an inherently dangerous vehicle like a duck boat.” The proposed legislation focuses on duck boats because of their large size, he had said previously.

A witness at the scene, who declined to give his name, said he heard a loud bang, turned around, and saw a woman lying on the ground. Witnesses said dozens of people crowded around the woman while passengers remained on the vehicle for a short period before getting off.

Sarah Engelbrektsson was walking down Clarendon Street toward Newbury Street when she saw the duck boat stopped near the intersection.

Engelbrektsson, 22, said she is new to Boston and had not heard of safety concerns about the duck boats. She considered them a fun way to learn about the city. But the Sunday morning crash left her wary of them.

“You would think [the duck boats] would be able to see everything since they are so high up,” she said. “I’ll just have to look four times before crossing the street instead of two.”

Martha Warmuth said she and her husband’s hearts “are broken.”

“It’s hard to understand or appreciate how serious it is with these duck boats,” she said.

Keith Bedford of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Jan Ransom can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @Jan_Ransom . Trisha Thadani can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @TrishaThadani . Nicole Fleming can be reached at [email protected] .

A look back at past deadly duck tour incidents

Families are gathering in Branson, Missouri, to mourn the deaths of 17 people -- including children -- who were killed when a tourist duck boat capsized in a lake during severe thunderstorms Thursday night.

The crash in Table Rock Lake isn't the first time a duck boat tour has turned deadly. From a 1999 accident on an Arkansas lake to a 2016 crash in Boston, here are some previous fatal accidents involving duck boats in the United States:

1999: Arkansas

Thirteen people were killed when a duck boat with 21 people on board sank on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1999, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The boat was about 7 minutes into its tour when it sank by its stern and plunged 60 feet to the bottom of the lake, the NTSB said. Seven passengers and the operator escaped.

The NTSB determined the cause of the accident to be inadequate maintenance of the vessel, which was built by the U.S. Army in 1944.

(MORE: 13 dead, including children in Missouri duck boat accident)

(more: how the missouri duck boat capsize unfolded amid weather warnings), 2010: philadelphia.

A tugboat-guided barge hit a duck tour boat on the Delaware River in 2010, killing Szaboolcs Prem and Doran Schwendtner, two Hungarian students who were visiting the U.S., ABC station WPVI in Philadelphia reported.

The tugboat pilot, Matthew Devlin, had been talking on his cellphone at the time and was sentenced to one year in prison, WPVI reported.

2015: Philadelphia

Elizabeth Karnicki, a tourist from Texas, was walking in Philadelphia during the evening rush hour when she was hit and killed by a duck boat in May 2015, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Karnicki's husband argued duck boats have large blind spots causing the drivers to not see pedestrians; he sued the company and the case was settled, The Kansas City Star reported.

2015: Seattle

Five college students were killed and many others were injured in a duck boat crash in Seattle in September 2015.

The boat was driving on Aurora Bridge when the axle broke, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a bus carrying college students, The Associated Press said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Ride the Ducks International violated the law by not telling regulators of a safety defect in the duck boats' front axle and by not issuing a recall, the AP reported.

Ride the Ducks International agreed to pay penalties, calling it "an unprecedented failure," the AP reported in 2016.

2016: Boston

Allison Warmuth was riding a scooter in Boston when she was hit and killed by a duck tour boat in 2016, according to ABC affiliate WCVB in Boston.

After the crash, duck boats in the city added second workers to all its tours, reported WCVB. The boats also added new equipment including an extra camera to the tours and banned drivers from narrating during the rides, WCVB said.

Related Topics

• Duck Boat Accident

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