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Three Men Charged in 2018 Missouri Duck Boat Accident

The captain and two other employees of a tour boat company were charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the sinking. Seventeen people, including a family and several children, were killed when it sank.

By Johnny Diaz

Three employees of a Missouri tour boat company were charged with felony criminal charges over a 2018 accident that killed 17 people on a lake, prosecutors said on Friday, bringing new charges in one of the deadliest accidents involving a tour boat in U.S. history.

The three employees, Kenneth Scott McKee, Charles Baltzell and Curtis Lanham, were charged with a total of 63 counts in relation to the sinking of the duck boat, Missouri’s attorney general, Eric Schmitt, and a Stone County prosecutor, Matt Selby, said in a statement on Friday.

Mr. McKee, 54, was the captain, Mr. Lanham, 38, was the general manager and Mr. Baltzell, 79, was the manager on duty on the duck boat, a vessel modeled after the amphibious trucks used in World War II to move on land and water.

They were each charged with 17 counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, and Mr. McKee also faces several charges of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Justin Johnston, a lawyer for Mr. Baltzell, said on Friday that his client “intends to vigorously contest these charges in court.” He added, “This accident was caused by a rare weather event, and the tragic deaths of the passengers were not the result of criminal conduct by anyone.”

J. R. Hobbs and Marilyn B. Keller, lawyers for Mr. McKee, said in a statement, “We are reviewing the charges, anticipate that not guilty pleas will be entered and will continue to vigorously represent Mr. McKee.”

Tricia Bath, a lawyer for Mr. Lanham, said in a statement on Friday, “As has been the case since Curtis was initially charged in Federal Court, we are confident that he committed no crime.”

The three men worked for the tour boat company Ride the Ducks Branson. A spokeswoman for Ripley Entertainment, which acquired the duck boat operation in 2017 , said in a statement on Friday that the company continues “to cooperate with all investigations into the sudden and severe storm known as a derecho that struck Table Rock Lake in July of 2018, resulting in a tragic accident.”

She added, “while the Stone County Prosecutor has brought criminal charges as a result of the accident, all persons charged are entitled to a strong presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The new criminal charges come after a federal judge had dismissed neglect and misconduct charges against the three employees last December.

The 17 people who died when the boat sank, on the afternoon of July 19, 2018, included a family of nine and several children. The boat, Stretch Duck 7, was on Table Rock Lake during a severe thunderstorm warning in the region, and severe weather and rough winds struck the lake.

Cellphone video from a witness showed the boat taking on water and struggling to move as fierce waves struck the vessel.

The National Weather Service’s office in Springfield, Mo., had issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 6:32 p.m. for southern Missouri, including Table Rock Lake, about 35 minutes before the authorities received the first calls about the sinking boat. Wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour were reported in the area, followed by heavy rain and lightning.

A probable cause statement accused Mr. McKee, who had 16 years of experience on the lake, of failing to exercise his duties as a licensed captain by entering the lake during the severe thunderstorm warning and failing to follow policies and training by not having passengers wear flotation devices as the boat took on water.

Mr. Baltzell and Mr. Lanham, according to the statement, also failed to communicate weather conditions and cease operations during a severe thunderstorm warning.

Because the vessel had a low profile, it took on water “over the course of several minutes,” the statement said. The boat sank into about 50 feet of water in the bottom of the lake.

“It rolled in an upright position, southwest, along the bottom of the lake, to a final position in approximately 85 feet of water,” according to the statement.

In all, the boat carried 29 passengers — including 12 children — the captain and a crew member on board when it sank, according to the probable cause statement. A crew member, whose job was to drive the vehicle when it moved onto land, and 16 passengers were killed.

Johnny Diaz is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Boston Globe. More about Johnny Diaz

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.

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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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Duck Boat Tragedy: Three years since Duck Boat capsized on Table Rock Lake

BRANSON, Mo. (KY3) - Monday marks three years since a Ride the Ducks boat on Table Rock Lake capsized during a storm, sinking and killing 17 people on board.

On July 19, 2018, a Stretch Duck 7 duck boat with 31 people on board capsized and sank in stormy weather near Branson, Missouri.

Sixteen passengers, including nine from the same family and one crew member driving the boat, drowned that night, leading to one of the deadliest boating accidents in United States history.

In their initial assessment, authorities blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength. The duck boat sank under high waves while winds around the area reached up to 70 miles per hour that day.

Investigators say Ride the Ducks had plenty of warning about the severe weather, but the boat still launched more than 20 minutes after a thunderstorm warning was issued for Table Rock Lake.

THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Three years later, people are still pushing for answers and working to come to terms with what happened.

On Friday, the Missouri Attorney General and Stone County Prosecutor filed 63 criminal charges against three employees on duty when tragedy struck. Captain Kenneth Scott McKee and two supervisors, Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell, all face a slate of felonies that include at least 17 criminal charges each.

Charges range from first-degree involuntary manslaughter to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The new charges come seven months after a federal judge dismissed charges filed by federal prosecutors, concluding that they did not have jurisdiction.

“There was a severe weather event already taking place. Based on his training and experience, he should have never gone in the water that day. There were also folks, the GM and the operations officer, who should have known better too, and the consequences here were incredibly tragic,” said Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.

An affidavit from a Missouri Highway Patrol sergeant accuses McKee of failing to exercise his duties as a licensed captain by taking the duck boat onto the lake in stormy conditions.

“We are reviewing the charges. Expect not guilty pleas will be entered and will continue vigorously represent Mr. McKee,” said J.R. Hobbs and Marilyn B. Keller, who represent the captain, via a statement Friday.

In January, Missouri U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley reintroduced federal legislation to improve the safety of duck boats. The bill would require the use of life jackets and equipping all duck boats to be more buoyant during emergency flooding.

“These common-sense safety measures, which are long overdue and need to go into effect immediately, will help prevent an incident like this from ever happening again,” said Sen. Blunt.

The U.S. Senate passed the bill during it latest go-around, but legislation has not made it through the House.

REMEMBERING THE TRAGEDY

For emergency responders, the scene that unfolded at Table Rock Lake remains vivid in their minds.

“Huge waves coming in, hitting that rock face and just going up that rock face. I’m just like ‘Wow.’ I’m like ‘I can see why a duck boat sank,’” said Mike Moore, Southern Stone County Fire Protection District Deputy Chief.

“It was chaos,” Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said. “One of the hardest things in the first 20 minutes there was trying to grasp ‘Where [are] all 30 of our people that were on this duck?’ It took a while to understand that they’d drown.”

Fire crews, police officers, paramedics, and state troopers flooded to the docking area of the Showboat Branson Belle, where the Ride the Ducks boat was supposed to get back on land. The boat capsized nearly 150 feet from that location.

“In almost 30 years of law enforcement, that was probably one of the most traumatic events I have been involved in,” said Rader. ” I had a deputy on [the Belle] who jumped in and helped save people and dragged the deceased out of the water. He’ll forever be affected by that. The emotional impact it made on everyone in this area, that tragedy will never be forgotten.”

Tia Coleman and her nephew are among the survivors, but she lost several family members in the accident.

“Keep us in prayer. We’re going to need it,” said Coleman days after the tragedy.

Attorneys for Coleman say she was disappointed when federal charges against the captain and attraction supervisors were dismissed last year, but she has renewed hope that the new charges filed by the state will bring justice for her and all the families impacted by the tragedy.

RESEARCH AND FINDINGS

Duck boats, like the one that capsized near Branson, were originally designed for the military, specifically to transport troops and supplies in World War II. They were later modified for use as sightseeing vehicles for tours that begin on land before going into water.

In November 2019, the National Transportation Safety Board released a “Safety Recommendation Report” on the accident. The report mentions that the U.S. Coast Guard had repeatedly ignored safety recommendations that could have made tourist duck boats safer and potentially prevented the tragedy.

CLICK HERE for the NTSB Safety Recommendation Report

The report is similar to one issued in 1999 after a deadly accident involving an amphibious vehicle in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Thirteen people were killed in that accident.

According to the report, the NTSB repeatedly urged the Coast Guard to require upgrades for the boats to stay afloat when flooded and to remove barriers to escape, such as canopies. The report found that a fixed canopy and closed side curtain impeded passenger escape, likely causing more deaths.

“Lives could have been saved, and the Stretch Duck 7 accident could have been prevented had previously issued safety recommendations been implemented,” said NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt in a November 2019 statement.

The NTSB says it recommended changes to 30 duck boat operators several years ago, but only one has made the recommended improvements.

In April 2020, the NTSB released findings of its investigation into the sinking of the Ride the Ducks vessel. Following the investigation, the Coast Guard agreed that canopies and side curtains should be removed from the duck boats, according to documents.

A lieutenant says the Coast Guard issued guidance in 2000, after an NTSB recommendation, urging inspectors and vessel owners to evaluate canopy design and installation. The guidance also recommended inspections of the design, sets, deck rails, windshields and windows “to ensure the overall arrangement did not restrict the ability of passengers to escape.”

An unrelated, internal investigation performed by the National Weather Service found that local meteorologists followed procedure necessary to ensure public safety on the night the duck boat capsized.

LOOKING BACK AND AHEAD

Robert Mongeluzzi, an attorney for survivor Tia Coleman, hopes the recommendations handed down by the NTSB in 2019 will finally be adopted by the Coast Guard.

“It is rare for one federal agency to really go after another. I was struck by how strongly the NTSB indicated that the Coast Guard just had not done the job they were supposed to do, which is protecting passengers and making safety first,” said Mongeluzzi.

Mongeluzzi says he and Coleman plan to meet with Coast Guard officials in the future to lobby for stricter laws and regulations.

“It was a very frustrating and emotional day for Tia Coleman,” said Mongeluzzi. “Her family would be alive if the duck boat industry had done their job and if the Coast Guard had done their job. Both of them have the blood of 17 victims here and two in Philadelphia on their hands.”

Ripley Entertainment, Inc., the company that operated duck boat rides in Branson, has settled 31 lawsuits filed on behalf of victims of the accident. The final lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount in January 2020.

A new duck boat tour company known as “Branson Duck Tours” is in the works several years after tragedy, but will not open until at least March 2022. The company’s operating manager, Jaredan Braal, says they plan to use amphibious “Hydra-Terra” vehicles for the tours.

Braal said the vehicles are aluminum and their hull is filled with foam. The manufacturing company’s website claims the vehicle is “unsinkable” and has been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We are heartbroken about the tragedy that happened there in the past. As we’re bringing this new company, we’re a safety first organization,” said Braal.

Ride The Ducks, however, has not operated in Branson since the tragedy three years ago.

ORIGINAL COVERAGE:

July 20, 2018

Branson mourns for 17 killed in sinking of packed duck boat

RELATED COVERAGE:

July 16, 2021

Stone Co. prosecutor, Missouri attorney general files 63 new charges against 3 in Ride the Ducks tragedy

January 28, 2021

Senators Blunt, Hawley reintroduce duck boat safety legislation

January 8, 2021

Man planning new Branson duck boat tour business details safety measures

April 28, 2020

Attorney for duck boat tragedy survivor, Tia Coleman, says she’s focused on change

November 13, 2019

NTSB: Coast Guard ignored duck boat safety proposals

July 19, 2019

First responders recall the duck boat tragedy, one year later

July 17, 2019

A year after tragedy, city of Branson debates future of duck boats

Copyright 2020 KY3. All rights reserved.

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Boston 25 Now

Deadly duck tour boat crashes date back nearly two decades

As families and friends mourn the deaths of 17 people killed on a tourist duck boat in Branson, Missouri, the National Transportation Safety Board is beginning its investigation into what caused the crash.

>>Related: 9 members of one family among 17 killed in duck boat accident on lake in Branson, Missouri 

The tragedy at Table Rock Lake wasn’t the first time a duck amphibious vehicle had been involved in a deadly crash.

Since 1999, 40 people have been killed in deadly crashes involving amphibious tour buses, according to The Associated Press .

>> Read more trending news

1999: Arkansas

“Miss Majestic” sank May 1, 1999 near Hot Springs, Arkansas in Lake Hamilton.

The boat was only seven minutes into its tour when it sank by the stern and went to the bottom of the lake, according to the Associated Press .

Thirteen people were killed.

The boat had to be hoisted out of the lake by a crane.

The NTSB report found that roofs or canopies on the duck boats put passengers in danger, because passengers could become trapped underneath them -- especially if they were wearing life jackets, because of their natural buoyancy.

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

2003: Boston

Rosemary Hamelburg, 63, fell backward off a duck boat into a parking lot while taking a photo on a duck boat in Boston.

She died four days later.

Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Her family and lawyers said the duck boat operation failed to follow its own safety policies on board the Boston Duck Tours Boat.

The company settled with Hamelburg’s estate for $425,000.

2010: Philadelphia 

A collision between a duck boat and a stalled tugboat on the Delaware River in Philadelphia caused the duck boat to sink.

Two students from Hungary were killed and over 25 people hurt, WPVI reports.

The NTSB determined that the tugboat operator was distracted by talking to family members on his cellphone and laptop.

The duck boat was also found at fault -- investigators found the boat had maintenance issues and faulted the captain for anchoring in an active boat channel.

2015: Philadelphia 

Elizabeth Karnicki, 68, of Beaumont, Texas, was hit and killed as she crossed a busy Philadelphia street at rush hour in May 2015.

Her husband argued duck boats have large blind spots and drivers cannot see pedestrians.

According to the Kansas City Star , he sued the company but eventually settled.

2015: Seattle

Five college students were killed and 69 others hurt after a duck boat collided with a charter bus on Seattle’s Aurora Bridge in September 2015.

The NTSB determined that an axle on the duck boat broke, causing the driver to lose control and slam into the charter bus, carrying a group of international students.

NTSB investigators determined that Ride the Ducks International, the duck boat parent company, violated law by not telling regulators about a safety defect on the duck boat’s axle and failing to issue a recall.

The company agreed to pay all penalties.

2016: Boston

Allison Warmuth, 28, was hit and killed by a duck boat while riding a motor scooter in downtown Boston in 2016, NBC reports .

NTSB investigators found that the duck boat driver took his eyes off the road to point out landmarks along the tour before the accident.

This prompted the Massachusetts legislature to pass a new law prohibiting drivers from serving as a tour guide and driver.

The duck boats were also required to add new safety equipment, including blind spot cameras.

The  Associated Press contributed to this article

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NTSB: Missouri Duck Boat Sinking That Killed 17 Could Have Been Avoided

Scott Neuman

A duck boat sits idle in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks, an amphibious tour operator in Branson, Mo., in July 2018. The company has since closed. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

A duck boat sits idle in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks, an amphibious tour operator in Branson, Mo., in July 2018. The company has since closed.

The 2018 sinking of a duck boat on Missouri's Table Rock Lake that killed 17 people would likely not have occurred if the U.S. Coast Guard had acted on recommendations made after a similar tragedy more than two decades ago, NTSB investigators said Tuesday.

During a teleconferenced meeting of the National Transportation Safety Board ahead of the release of the agency's final report on the accident, investigator Brian Young also said the accident could have been avoided if the operator of the Ride the Ducks attraction had heeded weather warnings of an impending derecho .

9 Of Those Killed In Duck Boat Capsizing Were Related

"On the day of the accident, the National Weather Service accurately forecasted and issued timely notifications of a severe thunderstorm that would impact the accident location," an abstract of the yet-unpublished final report concluded. "Ride the Ducks did not effectively use all available weather information to monitor the approaching severe weather and assess the risk it posed to its waterborne operations."

About 35 minutes after leaving the dock near the resort town of Branson on July 19, 2018, Stretch Duck 7, a modified World War II-era landing craft known as a DUKW, was seen struggling to make headway through steep waves as it took on water. Of the 31 people aboard, 16 passengers — including nine from the same family — and one of the two crew members aboard drowned.

The National Weather Service has said that winds reached 65 mph on the lake at the time of the accident.

The boat's captain, Kenneth Scott McKee, survived the accident. He was indicted in November 2018 on 17 counts of misconduct, negligence and inattention to duty by a ship's officer. More charges were added to McKee's indictment in June of last year, when two other employees of Ride the Ducks of Branson — its general manager at the time of the accident, Curtis P. Lanham, and operations supervisor, Charles V. Baltzell — were also charged with negligence.

Duck Boat Tour's Final Minutes Chronicled In Preliminary NTSB Report

At the NTSB teleconference, investigators reiterated that failing to implement all 22 recommendations the agency made after a previous duck boat sank in Arkansas in 1999 , killing 13 people, contributed to the 2018 accident. All but nine of them were ignored, including a key recommendation to add "reserve buoyancy" to the boats, allowing them to stay afloat after taking on water. Among other problems with the design of the vessels, the NTSB said they had insufficient "freeboard" — clearance between the deck and the waterline.

"NTSB investigators found that the accident vessel was originally constructed with a low freeboard, an open hull, and no subdivision or flotation, resulting in a design without adequate reserve buoyancy. Additionally, the NTSB cited previous inaction to address emergency egress on amphibious passenger vessels with fixed canopies which impeded passenger escape from the Stretch Duck 7," investigators concluded.

The NTSB released an April 15 letter it received from Daniel Abel, vice admiral of the Coast Guard, in which the service agreed that canopies and side curtains should be removed from the boats.

NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said duck boats should not be allowed to operate until the agency's recommendations are implemented. As of last year, more than a dozen duck boat tours were operating across the U.S. from California to Maine.

Sumwalt said he was "very optimistic" the Coast Guard was committed to improving small passenger boat safety.

Ripley Entertainment, which operated the now defunct Ride the Ducks of Branson, has settled 31 lawsuits filed by survivors or relatives of those who died, according to The Associated Press.

"We remain dedicated to working with the community of Branson, and continuing our support of all those who were impacted by the accident," company spokeswoman Suzanne Smagala-Potts said.

17 Dead: The Latest on the ‘Terrible Tragedy’ of the Branson Duck Boat Sinking

S eventeen people are dead after an amphibious duck boat with tourists on board sank in a heavy storm near Branson, Missouri on Thursday.

The Stone County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the death toll on Friday morning after a dive team concluded recovery efforts to find four missing bodies.

The boat, from Ride the Ducks Branson, was one of two vessels caught in a heavy storm that rolled into the area about 7 p.m. local time. Videos posted on local media showed two boats struggling to make it to shore on Table Rock Lake amid heavy windy and choppy waters.

There were 31 people – 29 passengers and two crew members – aboard the capsized boat, according to the Stone County Sheriff’s Office. At a press conference Friday morning, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said the driver of the duck boat died in the accident, but the boat’s captain was among the survivors. He said an off-duty sheriff’s deputy working on security for the nearby Branson Belle riverboat in Table Rock Lake helped to rescue people in the water after the accident.

“It’s been a long night and a very trying night,” Rader said.

Seventeen people have been confirmed dead, including children. Fourteen survived, with seven taken to hospital. Those who died ranged in age from 1 to 70 years old, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Pace.

Rader said Friday morning that he did not have more information about whether the boat operators had checked the weather forecast before leaving shore or whether passengers had been wearing life jackets on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to investigate the cause of the accident.

“Right now, it’s just a time for thoughts and prayers. There’s a lot of healing that has to take place right now,” Missouri Governor Mike Parson said at Friday’s press conference. “All those details will come in time, but for right now, it’s about really trying to protect the families, to unite the families and to deal with the situation they’re in. I think that’s the most important thing.”

WOW - video captures duck tour boat sinking in Missouri w/31 people on board. 11 people are dead, including children, 5 people are still missing in the lake and 7 are in the hospital. You can see there was terrible weather. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued 30 mins before. pic.twitter.com/w8T17pE37B — Erica Rakow (@EricaRakow) July 20, 2018

Who are the victims of the duck boat accident?

The Stone County Sheriff’s Office on Friday released the names of the 17 victims. They include nine members of the same family , a couple from St. Louis , a couple from Higginsville , a father and son from Arkansas and a grandmother who died saving her granddaughter , according to local media reports. The boat’s driver, Bob Williams , was also among the deceased.

Why did the duck boat sink?

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader attributed the sinking to heavy winds.

The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Branson area Thursday evening. Wind speeds reached 60 mph, a weather service meteorologist in Springfield told the Associated Press.

“They were coming back to land. There were actually two ducks. The first one made it out and the second one didn’t,” Rader said at a press conference Thursday night.

Video posted to the Springfield News-Leader showed the two boats struggling to make it to shore in heavy wind and waves. Onlooker Jennie P. Carr, who was on the Branson Belle Showboat as people had dinner, recorded footage of the boat’s nose sinking below the water. The camera turned away before the boat sank.

“It got closer to us on the Showboat and you could see water going into the boat. I did see he was starting to sink. It was leaning to the right,” she told the newspaper.

She said the boat was out of sight when it sank.

What is the duck boat operator saying?

On Friday morning the operators’ website was replaced by an image of a black ribbon, with a statement reading: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred at Ride The Ducks Branson. This incident has deeply affected all of us. Words cannot convey how profoundly our hearts are breaking.”

It continued, “We will continue to do all we can to assist the families who were involved and the authorities as they continue with the search and rescue. The safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority. Ride the Ducks will be closed for business while we support the investigation, and to allow time to grieve for the families and the community.”

“Thank you for your support, and we ask that your thoughts and prayers be with the families during this time.”

Have there been other fatal duck boat accidents?

In 1999, a duck boat on Lake Hamilton, Arkansas, sank, drowning 13 of its 21 passengers. After that incident, the National Transportation Safety Board said the roof canopy of the boat was to blame, after finding four of the victims pinned against the roof at the bottom of the lake. Three more were also trapped inside the boat.

In 2015, a duck boat collided with a charter bus on a bridge in Seattle, killing five people and injuring 69. And in 2016, a duck boat in Boston struck and killed a motorist , sparking a debate over the vessels’ safety.

What is a duck boat?

A duck boat is the colloquial name for an amphibious vehicle that can operate on land and in the water. The vehicles are based off a military design first used during World War II. They are now a common vehicle in lake tours around the world.

Ride The Ducks Branson was acquired by entertainment giant Ripley in December 2017.

How are officials responding?

Missouri Governor Mike Parson ordered all flags at government offices in the state to be flown at half-staff for a week to honor the victims of the boating accident.

Very sad to hear about this horrible accident - prayers for all those involved and the first responders who are assisting. https://t.co/PQ56zagc0s — Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) July 20, 2018

President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the victims of the accident, saying “My deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those involved in the terrible boat accident which just took place in Missouri. Such a tragedy, such a great loss. May God be with you all!”

My deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those involved in the terrible boat accident which just took place in Missouri. Such a tragedy, such a great loss. May God be with you all! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2018

Tragedy here in Missouri this evening. Heavy hearts for the families of those who have died and are hurt. And as always sincere thanks to the first responders. https://t.co/RrASkl0fcU — Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) July 20, 2018

Deeply saddened by the tragedy at Table Rock Lake. My prayers are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. Thank you to the first responders who are assisting. — Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) July 20, 2018

Terrible tragedy on Table Rock Lake last night. Erin and I are praying for the families involved and for the missing. My office ready to assist law enforcement as needed in investigation. https://t.co/KM0XaR541z — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 20, 2018

Just spoke with Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri about the tragic loss of life in Branson from the boat incident. I am grateful for the divers at work and our heart goes out to the families. Arkansas stands ready to help. — Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) July 20, 2018

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Write to Michael Zennie at [email protected] and Katie Reilly at [email protected]

• Philadelphia

The fatal history of Philly’s duck boats

Philadelphia had a rocky past with Ride the Ducks before the company suspended its local operation in 2016.

At one time, it was not uncommon to see flocks of tourists carted throughout Philadelphia in boats on wheels.

Ride the Ducks — an amphibious city tour — was once a popular Philadelphia tourist draw. But in October 2016, the company suspended operations in the city .

In the wake of a duck boat disaster that claimed the lives of 17 people in Branson, Mo. on Thursday, the vehicles and their use for tourism are being scrutinized again. Here's a look at duck boats' fatal history in Philadelphia.

>> READ MORE:  Death toll from Missouri duck boat accident climbs to 17

The Ride the Ducks franchise, which is headquartered where the Missouri tragedy took place, began operating in Philadelphia in 2003.

A deadly accident on the Delaware

Less than a decade later,  the company was involved in its first fatal accident in the city.

On July 7, 2010, a barge pushed by a tugboat struck a duck boat stranded in the Delaware River off Penn's Landing after an engine fire.

Once struck, the amphibious craft capsized and two Hungarian tourists drowned.

The tugboat's pilot, the Inquirer reported , was on his cellphone handling a family emergency. He served a one-year sentence for "the maritime equivalent of involuntary manslaughter."

>> READ MORE:  What are duck boats? An explanation of the amphibious vehicles

Ride the Ducks and K-Sea Transportation Partners, which owned the tugboat, faced lawsuits and were ordered to give the families of the deceased $15 million. They also were required to pay $2 million to be split among the survivors of the crash.

Fatal crash in Center City

Five years after that incident, a duck boat was involved in another fatality, this time on land.

Elizabeth Karnicki, 68, was run over and killed by a Ride the Ducks vehicle in May 2015.

Witnesses said Karnicki was crossing the street against a red light while looking at an electronic tablet near the Convention Center when she was struck,  the Inquirer reported at the time .

The operator of the vehicle had a green light, and was unable to see Karnicki, likely because duck boat drivers sit high and about ten feet behind the front of the boat, said the Inquirer .

>> R EAD MORE:  Duck boats have a history of fatalities

Karnicki's family sued the boat's operator and manufacturer, as well as the city, citing the vehicle's blind spots, distracted driving and inadequate crossing signals.

The lawsuit was settled during summer 2017 under undisclosed terms.

On-again, off-again operations

With the two deadly incidents, Ride the Ducks had a start-and-stop tenure in Philadelphia. The company's operations on the Delaware were halted after the 2010 accident. A months later, Ride the Ducks planned to Schuylkill .html">move to the Schuylkill , but that shift was halted when the city rejected its proposal  and the company instead resumed boat tours on the Delaware , with some changes .

In October 2016, the company announced it would "indefinitely" suspend operations in Philly due, in part, to a 330 percent increase in insurance premiums, the Inquirer reported .

>> READ MORE:   Ride the Ducks suspends operations in Philadelphia

Robert J. Mongeluzzi, the lawyer who represented the families of all three victims, had been vocal in his opposition to the boats. When Ride the Ducks left Philadelphia, he  told the Inquirer  he would not miss the sightseeing vehicles.

"The ducks are dangerous," he said. "They are inappropriate for city streets, they're a danger on the land and on the water, and I'm glad to see them go."

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'safety is no. 1 priority,' boston duck boat operator says after fatal accident in missouri.

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The company that runs duck boat tours in Boston is speaking out about the fatal duck boat incident in Missouri that claimed the lives of 17 people.

A duck boat packed with tourists capsized on a Missouri lake and sank in high winds in the tourist town of Branson.

Authorities blamed stormy weather for the accident Thursday evening on Table Rock Lake. Winds at the time were blowing as hard as 65 mph (105 kph), according to the National Weather Service.

Boston Duck Tours said it continuously monitors weather locations at its 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 U.S. Coast Guard,” said Bob Schwartz, director of marketing and sales for Boston Duck Tours.

Schwartz said the tours do not operate if winds are over 25 knots or waves are over 1 foot.

"The safety of our guests and our employees is our No. 1 priority and will continue to work closely with our partners at the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Public Utilities, Boston Hackney Division and Department of Transportation to ensure we maintain these safety standards," he said.

Missouri Fatal Incident Sparks Renewed Concerns About Boston Duck Tours

A woman driving a scooter was killed in 2016 during a crash with one of boston's duck boat tours vehicles, by cassy arsenault and karla rendon-alvarez • published july 20, 2018 • updated on july 20, 2018 at 7:27 pm, what to know.

• At least 13 are dead after a duck boat capsized and sank on a Missouri lake during a thunderstorm Thursday; 4 are still missing
• Boston Duck Tours says its severe weather policy allows them to cancel rides if the conditions are unsafe
• Boston Duck Tour boats don't require seatbelts, but do have life jackets for safety

With the recent fatalities reported after a sightseeing duck boat capsized and sank in a Missouri lake, concerns over the safety of Boston’s own Duck Boat Tours have resurfaced.

The popular tourist ride boasts a unique, historical tour around the city and states that safety is its top priority.

After a fatal crash involving a motorist on a scooter in 2016, the company updated its operation to prevent another accident from happening again. A second person was assigned to each duck boat with one person operating the vehicle and the other giving a tour.

Tourists visiting Boston on Friday said although they felt horrible about what happened in Missouri, they felt safe riding the boats.

"I feel pretty safe about what's happening here in Boston," said Jennifer Young, a tourist visiting from California.

"On the way here to ride the duck boats, we said a prayer to all those that were affected, those that have passed away," added Colleen Willard, a tourist from Chicago.

The Missouri duck boat sank during a thunderstorm, killing at least 13 of the 31 people on board. Boston’s Duck Boat Tours’ severe weather policy states it may cancel rides if conditions are unsafe.

"I can just imagine the heartache and the tragedy because when you’re out and you're enjoying something, you know, fun to do in life, and all of a sudden tragedy hits. It’s really hard," Willard said.

"Boston Duck Tours runs rain or shine," their policy states. "However, we may be forced to cancel either the water portion or the entire tour itself under severe weather conditions... Cancellations are done at the discretion of the Dispatcher based on the current weather conditions at the time of the tour."

There are no seatbelts on board because state law does not require them, but they carry life jackets for safety and enforce several safety measures.

Vehicles are checked every year by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and U.S. Coast Guard, according to Boston’s Duck Boat Tours. Its vehicles are also reportedly checked multiple times a day by mechanics. Drivers must also complete several weeks of training before they can operate one of the vehicles.

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Students Killed in Seattle Duck Tour Crash Identified

Federal investigators arrived in Seattle Friday and began examining the wreckage of an amphibious "duck boat" tour vehicle and a charter bus that collided on a bridge, leaving four international college students dead and dozens injured.

"This is a major investigation as far as we're concerned," National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener told reporters.

The dead were among 45 incoming students at North Seattle College on the bus to Safeco Field for an orientation Thursday when the accident occurred. School staff members were also on board.

The school identified the dead as Claudia Derschmidt, a 49-yr-old from Austria; Privando Putradanto, 18, from Indonesia; Mami Sato, 36, from Japan; and a 17-year-old student from China were killed in the 11:15 a.m. accident on the Aurora Bridge, the college said Friday. The name of the Chinese student was withheld due to her age.

RELATED: Four College Students Killed When Duck Boat and Bus Crash in Seattle

Many more were injured in the crash . One person remained in critical condition in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center Friday and 11 others were in serious condition, the hospital said. Two other patients remained in serious condition at another hospital, a Harborview official said.

The students were set to begin their first quarter at the college on Monday.

"The international students that were coming here were really looking at the opportunity for higher education to change their lives and the quality of higher education here the Seattle area and it's absolutely devastating that they would not have that opportunity," North Seattle College President Warren Brown said.

A cause of the crash has not been determined. A witness told NBC station KING5 the amphibious tour vehicle and the charter bus were traveling in opposite directions Thursday when the duck tour vehicle apparently lost control and struck another vehicle and then slammed into the bus.

A multidisciplinary team of NTSB investigators arrived in Seattle Friday afternoon. Weener said the team will look at a variety of factors, including the condition of the vehicles, the nature of the injuries and how they were protected, data captured by vehicle recording equipment, the condition of the bridge and the performance of the drivers.

The goal, Weener said, was not just to understand what happened and why, but to issue safety recommendations to prevent something similar from happening in the future.

He noted that the NTSB has never investigated an accident involving a duck boat on land. "This is a new aspect of amphibious vehicles for us," Weener said.

The company that owns the boat, Ride the Ducks of Seattle, has suspended tours.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said officials will look at whether there were safety issues on the bridge that contributed to the deadly crash. The bridge has no median separating the northbound and southbound lanes.

"We'll figure this out together. We'll figure out how and if we need to make changes on the bridge, if the bridge was an issue or not," Murray said.

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

Watch CBS News

Duck Boats Resume In Delaware River After Fatal Crash

April 21, 2011 / 3:23 PM EDT / CBS Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Amphibious duck boat tours resumed Thursday on the Delaware River in Philadelphia nine months after a deadly collision with a tugboat-steered barge forced them from the water.

Sightseers who boarded the amphibious Ride The Ducks tour boats said they were not worried about their safety in the wake of the July 7 collision that killed two Hungarian tourists.

"The first thing I wanted to do was ride the ducks," said Stacy Crain, a visitor from Baltimore who had taken the tour last year before the collision that sank one of the amphibious crafts, sending 37 people tumbling into the water.

"I felt safe last year; I feel even more safe this year. I feel that it wasn't Ride The Ducks' fault but they got the short end of the stick."

The tour splashed into the Delaware River on Thursday morning, taking a scaled-down route that goes only about 100 feet from shore and lasts 10 minutes, down from 30 minutes previously. A spotter boat is also being used to track the tour craft in the event of an emergency.

Passenger Tim Jansen, of Croydon, Pa., said the additional precautions were appreciated.

"I heard the safety issues they're taking now about locating the barges and ships before entering the water," he said. "I feel safe and confident that I'll have a good ride."

An engine problem was the first in a series of events that ended in the collision that killed Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16. Federal investigators found the tour boat's calls to the approaching tug went unheeded in the moments before the crash.

A National Transportation Safety Board report determined the tugboat's pilot was distracted by repeated cell phone calls about a family emergency on the day of the collision. Federal prosecutors are reviewing the case.

Norcross, Ga.-based Ride the Ducks had tried to move its operations to the quieter Schuylkill River, but the city rejected the plan over concerns the tours would interfere with other recreational activities.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Despite Seattle’s history with Ride the Ducks, tour company plans new fleet of tourist vehicles that go on land, water

John Malouf knows that Seattle may not be keen on the idea of someone launching another fleet of amphibious vehicles on its waters and roadways.

It was just six years ago that a Ride the Ducks of Seattle vehicle loaded with tourists broke an axle and crashed into a bus filled with international students, killing five people and injuring 60. Millions were paid out to victims and their families , resulting in the tour company closing and filing for bankruptcy in April of last year.

“I know your history well,” Malouf said of the crash, and the legal journey that followed.

Still, Malouf thinks this is a prime spot to launch his Seattle Splash Tours , an “amphibious adventure” scheduled to open this summer, offering 90-minute rides on land and water in Hydra-Terra vehicles built for tourism by Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International.

“This is a completely different amphibian, built for tours,” said Malouf, who has been running Alaska Amphibious Tours in Ketchikan, Alaska, for the last 20 years.

 “It really comes down to safety.”

Unlike the Ducks vehicles — some of which were built in the 1940s and ’50s for use in the military, and maintained for decades — Seattle Splash Tours will use newer vehicles made with modern parts. The oldest vehicle in his fleet is 20 years old, he said, and the aluminum hull is filled with Coast Guard-approved buoyancy foam, “which is a huge advantage.”

“You can’t sink ‘em,” he said. “They are positively buoyant.”

His vehicles have “proven performance” in 16 countries, and he called them “the safest amphibious vehicles for tourism.”

His tour company has had one death in its history: In 2004, a pedestrian walked in front of a vehicle and was killed . Investigators found the company was not at fault.

Malouf has received a two-month permit from Seattle’s Department of Parks and Recreation to launch the vehicles at the Sunnyside Avenue North boat ramp, where the Ducks used to launch, and where he hopes good times will begin again. 

“We feel there is a bit of a vacuum there,” Malouf said of Seattle, a city he got to know well as a harvest diver. “There is a good market there. Seattle is a great tourist destination, and it has taken a hit in the last couple of years.

“It could use a little splash and fun.”

Where the Ducks tours had a more comedic tone — “Captains” at the wheel with funny names and crazy hats, punning and playing loud music — the Splash tours will be more informative, but still a good time, he said.

“We like to have fun,” Malouf said. “I think Ride the Ducks had huge local sponsorship, and after the accident, they had a hard time getting through that.

“We’re going to stand on our own,” he continued. “We’re a different company and do things the way we like to do it. And safety is our priority, coming in.”

In February 2019, after a four-month civil trial, a King County jury awarded the victims of the crash $123 million. The jury determined that Ride the Ducks International — the Branson, Missouri-based manufacturer of the Duck amphibious vehicle — bore 67% to 70% of the responsibility for the crash; and that Ride the Ducks of Seattle was 30% to 33% at fault. Awards to each of the 40 plaintiffs ranged from $40,000 to $25 million.

After the crash, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission, which regulates commercial charter buses and tourist vehicles statewide, suspended the local company from operating its 20 tourist vehicles and also found that Ducks Seattle had 463 safety violations.

Last year, four U.S. senators introduced the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act, after a 2018 duck boat accident in which 17 people were killed on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.

The bill passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and is expected to be considered by the full Senate this year.

If passed, the law would reinforce National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, requiring the use of life jackets and equipping all operating duck boats to be more buoyant in case of emergency flooding. The law would also require the logging of safety actions; annual safety training for crew members; and the consideration of safety recommendations in previous incident reports.

Ride the Ducks left Seattle for good last July, when the 19 remaining vehicles were put up for auction , and sold for between $5,000 and $45,000; the higher bid was for a vehicle painted with the University of Washington colors and logo.

“They exceeded the best expectations we had,” said Colin Murphy, of the James G. Murphy Company, which handled the weeklong auction. “And we didn’t have a clue what they would go for, because they aren’t really for sale on the open market.”

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The vehicles were sold to mostly private owners, from Mount Vernon in Skagit County to New York, Maine and Florida.

“They landed everywhere,” Murphy said, adding the Ducks portable ticket office sold for $4,500.

Malouf has no set start date for selling tickets. But he expects a little pushback, considering what has happened here, and in other parts of the country where amphibious vehicles were involved in accidents.

“Of course, there is going to be resistance,” he said. “There are always going to be haters. But you just keep a smile on and keep on trucking.”

And floating. That, too.