I know nothing about Ride The Ducks but that makes them sound like good people. They could have just lawyered up and clammed up which is what most companies would have done.

I hate hearing about that Hyatt disaster. That was the day I was born, so I got to hear about it on the local news first thing every year on my birthday. Sharing the day with one of the worst things ever to happen in the city is weird.

Seems weird that ride the ducks wouldn’t have a minimum age or size to ride it. Is there life vest small enough to fit a 1 year old?

Why? It’s not some sort of thrill ride. It’s basically a bus and a boat, and there shouldn’t be any reason for a minimum size/age. I’m not sure if they had life vests for a one year old, but I know they definitely make them.

Who’s Leeta Bigbee? She’s the one who gets the money from that account. The very first interview Tia did from the hospital bed she was asking for funds to help because of all that was lost.

Would you of taken a baby on it? Not judging, just curious what the general consensus would be.

I have a two year old who would love it. Little kids love bus rides and being on a boat. Also, they're on vacation. It's not like they have a babysitter handy to leave the toddler with while the rest of them go. Not sure on pricing, but I would assume the one year old was free as long as they were on a parents lap.

Hell no.

Duck boats linked to more than 40 deaths since 1999

http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article215261040.html

Maybe, it’s just me.

Well take away the 17 that just happened and that leaves 23 since 1999. That's 1.2 deaths per year until now. They're hardly floating death.
Posted via Mobile Device

‘They are death traps and sinking coffins’: Missouri duck boat accident among deadliest in 20 years

https://myfox8.com/2018/07/20/they-a...t-in-20-years/

Ya, your probably right.

One time something happened. Therefore, everything is bad always and forever. Nevermind the morons that took the things out in bad conditions. Used responsibly, duck boats are just fine.

And of those 23, 15 occurred in the water, the others took place on docks or roadways.

If you don't want to go on one, then don't. I know I never will. However, there have probably been more deaths via roller coasters, and it doesn't stop me from hopping on one. More deaths from car accidents, and I still drive.

Oh, and because we're supposed to be grammar Nazis on here, it's "you're" and not "your".

Oh for pity's sake! 40 people have died in 19 years. I guarantee you that more than that have died in skiing accidents, accidental drownings, 4 wheeler accidents or just about anything in that time frame. That is minimal.

Former NTSB Chairman James Hall said Saturday that the boat’s design makes the World War II-era vessels prone to the kind of accidents that led to the Thursday’s sinking. Hall said the amphibious vessel should be banned from such use.

I might side with James Hall on this argument.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...f1d_story.html

"The GoFundMe campaign was set up by Coleman's sister, Leeta Bigbe. So far, more than 10,000 people have contributed."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/23/healt...rnd/index.html

Walk in cooler at the IGA Butcher shop?"

I have love/hate feelings about these kinds of things. I'm happy she's getting some money, but I wish there were a better way of seeing what they actually need. I would hope that at least some of the family members had life insurance, and down the road I have to imagine they'll at least get some level of money from the inevitable lawsuit. (Granted, the latter could take years.)

The ****ing morons took it out in a storm. WTF? Don't blame the boat for assinine behavior.

Oh no! My RWD Ford dually skidded off the road and killed someone when I drove it in the ice! This is the truck's fault!

Ride the Ducks has already offered to pay for all of the medical and funeral expenses of all of the victims. Thought it was cool of them to do that before getting sued.

I don't have any hate feelings for this. Hope she never has to work again.

Well they should...but they were going to have to pay that anyway. At least they are doing the right thing now and not making the families go through the fight of getting it paid for.
Posted via Mobile Device

Two incidents in what, 40 years of these things driving around different places all over the country, every day, carrying hundreds of people?

DEATH TRAPS! BAN ALL THE THINGS!
Posted via Mobile Device

Duck Boats Matter.

To be reimbursed by the insurance company......

They still have to front it. It's not a trivial expenditure. They know their man messed up and they'll have their tail between their legs for a while.

They could have made the families wait until after claims were made.

Most incidents were caused by poor maintenance (Lake Hamilton) On road they have had axles break and cause crashes and have have accidents in city traffic.

And I would guess the boats have served hundreds of thousands, if not into the millions of people.

It’s common for a Medical Examiner/Coroner office to have arrangements with other offices to handle storage issues. Funeral homes may provide temporary storage space for example. I do not know how storage was handled in this particular case.

If you count all of the World War II casualties aboard Duck Boats, the mortality rate skyrockets.

Yeah, I haven't seen much to suggest that duck boats are inherently dangerous in any of this. As others have mentioned, there are hundreds of these things in use around the world, and incidents are really pretty rare.

The smoking gun is going to come from the statements made, if any from the Capt and the people responsible for ,making the call for entering the lake or canceling service due to inclement weather. This is not the first time a duck boat has been in a thunderstorm just the worst.

If the Duck Boats knew that the storm was preceded by a squall of 60MPH winds and allowed the boats on the water then that person should see jail time. If it was company policy to enter the lake even though they were in the window of a wind advisory and thunderstorm warning then send Pattinson there too.

They should give the survivors free passes for life.

I'd still like to know how long before the TS warning was issued at 6:30 did the thing enter the water. Other than some guy saying he thinks he saw it heading towards the lake shortly before 7:00, it hasn't been reported.

Were the children wearing life preservers? Should have been isn't that the law when out on the water?

Sounds like the answer is no for commercial vehicles. However, they should have put them on when "hazardous conditions" existed.

https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/lo.../507-576069223

Passengers on commercial boats are not required to wear life jackets. They are required to have enough for everyone but people aren't required to wear them.

If they had 17 ducks they could name one after each.

I watched the live video of them pulling it out today and there were no windows. WTF?

I'd like to know this as well.

I want to know what qualifications Ride the Ducks uses to name and give title as Captain to there employees and what the qualifications are to be a driver. Is the Captain just a guy who delivers the spiel on the duck tour. Or is this Captain a real expert in navigating on water and all safety regulations. He obviously made a bad call on not to put on life vests and abandon ship when it took on water.

I have not seen a time but I feel it would have been close. Anyone recall how long the trip takes on water?

CNN

The area around Branson was placed under a severe thunderstorm warning shortly after 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET), about half an hour before the boat sank.

Dont you suppose that they were removed and or retracted to aid in rescue the recovery of bodies. I did read everything those divers do is filmed. I dont know if that is like stills or video.

A survivor said after it was under water for a minute the captain released the canopy.

Why are they still using WWII technology? Why not design a safer Duck Boat that's more in tune with this century?

The time frame may be inaccurate due to the experience.

I did not know it could be released in case the duck went under. I guess that if you didn't grab a vest before it happened....

Ain’t nobody got time for all that, there’s vacations to go on to Ride the Ducks.

Its faster than Sh*t. I know you cant compare that to the Ducks, but the ducks really don't go that far out on the lake.

What's really is hard to understand, is the main center were they park and load is even further north than me, that's the direction the storm came in from. (Green mountain & 76) The incident was 1.5 miles south of me. Why didn't they call them all back in? This would of bought more time.

$30 a ticket X 29 passengers = why they didn’t call them back in.

I suppose. I did think that one of the onboard videos showed windows, so it was curious. Also the number of bright orange floaty things still in the vessel.

Sad but true.

Dude, one look at that storm, and you could tell it was nasty like my women.

Is it possible the windows were crushed by the water pressure at 80 feet of depth?

LMAO

My brother and I were talking about that a couple days ago. Very true.

Yeah I saw that also and right overhead in reach of all passengers. The sheeple factor here Captain says you dont need them WTH. People they are put overhead for you its your life get a life preserver to hell what a Duck Boat Captain says.

^ The hell with Duck Boat Caprains, Duck Boat Captains don’t matter.

Hee also kept telling them to stay in their seats even as it was so bling. Ya, **** him.

#DuckBoatCaptains Lives Matter



Still going to be a hell of a funeral to sit through

Your full of shit.. I can't point the finger at the company noting greed for a measly $870.

I cannot even fathom a person risking the lives of 30 people for $870.

I have to ask if the driver and "captain" we're up to date on the weather (did they know of 60 mph winds coming in front of the storm.

It may be months or years before anything is public as it I were the captain's lawyer I would cut his tongue out to keep him from speaking. The same for the Manager of the overall operation who should have made the call to turn the Ducks around.

Here’s a part of the Branson Ducks story you should know:

While the duck boat was capsizing, David Griffin was working a part-time job as a waiter on the Showboat. For 4 years, he performed on the Showboat’s stage, and currently is a star singer with the Clay Cooper Experience in Branson.
Watching the tragedy unfold, David took off his waiter’s apron, called on a fellow employee and JUMPED INTO THE WATER to help.
At 75 MPH, those swells would make it hard to survive, much less swim or help someone else.
David swam to a woman who was face down in the water, and struggling to stay afloat, managed to hold her up for 25 minutes. He had even forgotten to remove his shoes!! The woman did not make it. Before he was lifted by a pontoon boat, David helped move two more people out of the water.
David did not rescue anyone who lived. But the Branson singer and waiter tried!! BTW, only two people from the Branson Bell jumped into the treacherous waters, David and his pal.
Despite how he thought “a half-dozen times” that he, too, was going to die, David made it to shore and the dock of the Branson Belle, in time to console the Duck Captain, who was in a wheelchair.
“You did all you could,” he told him.
I thought it is important that you know what David did yesterday! David’s story should be told.

Safer than planes, trains & automobiles.

Overreact much?

Out of curiosity, what is your experience with amphibious vehicles?

Not an applicable comparison. Millions if not billions of people drive and/or fly on a regular basis, versus whatever the comparably minuscule number of duck boat riders are. Also, flying a commercial airlines within the USA is literally the safest way to move any distance in the world. You are at a greater risk while walking along an even semi busy road, let alone riding a duck boat.

As much as yours.

Now, we have common ground. Which mobile assault bridge units did you serve with and what years?

First of the First from 1980-82.

Need more detail

Why do I get the feeling this is about to become a dick measuring contest? What's the point? Are you trying to prove that your opinion is more valid than someone else's based on your personal experience with duck boats?

That idiot needs to be removed from the thread. Or better yet, the entire board.

done

After Tuesday "chime in" by Claire (the witch) McCaskill one would have to think that we should all breath easier knowing she is committed to addressing the safety of Duck boats on a federal level.

In response to the former owner who stretched the Duck boats, who had no engineering background, I would say that most modified vehicles on the road were also modified by people with no engineering background. where do you think the Toyota 4Runner, stretch limos, and lift kits come from? Certainly not engineers.

Because the Duck boats didn't have bumpers and the side marker lighting being a few inches from proper (retrofit) doesn't bother me. I dououst not being routed behind the vehicle caused it to sink, hit motorcycles or pedestrians or tour buses.

The biggest question still seems to be: Was the boat told to go into the water or was it a decision made on board?

I really think that the Ntsb will shed some light on this but while it's popular everyone, the "witch" included want to chime in. One got on her broom Tuesday on the Senate floor.

Roy Blunt also put out a statement. Got any nasty names for him?

The problem was the decision to drive
Out on the lake

Now everyone is an armchair expert on duck boats LMAO

Sure shitty design but they never should have hit the water that day

Exactly.

Bad decision making was the reason for the tragedy.

Thought this was interesting. A response from a local news station regarding reaction to coverage.

https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/kol...age/1321674829

KOLR10 Insider: Questions and Comments Answered About Duck Boat Tragedy Coverage

No doubt it's been a tough time for everyone across the Ozarks as we've watched the tragedy unfold involving the duck boat fatalities and injuries at Table Rock Lake.

Our insider aims to answer your questions, comments and concerns about the content you see from KOLR 10 news.

We want to address some viewer messages regarding three aspects of our coverage of the Duck Boat Tragedy.

Let's begin with Thursday night, some of you were angry that we interrupted "Big Brother" to bring you breaking news details about the accident.

Teresa contacted us saying, "Shame on you for interrupting Big Brother for no news."

Christy wrote, "Are you kidding me?? you are breaking into programming to report a quote "boat issue"...Thanks a lot."

Ryan weighed in, "Do not interrupt public television for an accident on Table Rock Lake. That has nothing to do wth the general public, it can wait until 10."

Clearly it was much more than a "boat issue" and the general public has had a huge outcry of concern for the people affected by the tragedy.

KOLR10 News is a trusted gate-keeper of information. This story rose to a level that warranted interruption of regular programming. We were cautious and guarded -- and only reported what we had confirmed that night. If you're still upset about missing "Big Brother", episodes are available to watch at CBS.com.

Another issue that enraged some viewers was our airing of video, showing a woman, who was alive, on a stretcher shortly after the accident. It came to us from someone who was at the scene that night.

Lacey said to us, "The raw footage of the ducks accident seriously needs to be taken down. Victims are still unaccounted for."

Andrew shared, "please remove the video from the showboat out of respect for those injured in the incident and consider a public apology for the extreme disrespect and blatant disregard of decency."

After we aired the video on our news and posted it on our website and Facebook, we had a newsroom discussion that night and we took it down.

KOLR10 News Director Chuck Maulden explains why, "after we posted this, in the interest of providing as much information about the event, we saw that people were offended by it. And it was deemed too sensitive. And we're accountable to our local viewers. So when we saw that they thought that was too much, we decided we're going to delete that or edit that so it's a little more appropriate for our local audience. "

Finally, some were upset about our Friday night interview with survivor Tia Coleman, the Indiana woman who lost 9 members of her family Thursday night.

Jessica wrote in saying, "Shame on your reporter who bombarded that poor woman... Before she had even gotten out of the hospital. You guys make me sick... No compassion or morals."

Tia Coleman and her family reached out to KOLR10 News on Friday, asking that we come to the hospital so she could share her story.

No cameras would be allowed in the hospital without permission. We did not seek her out.

We understand emotions are running high regarding this horrific tragedy.

KOLR10 News works hard to bring you responsible coverage and we weigh ethical questions and concerns daily regarding this and any story we tell.

This is so terribly sad, Branson has been a regular vacation spot for our family since I could walk. Though the Ducks were never a priority, maybe once every 3-4 times we vacationed there, I took my son and nephew on one just last year. What a horrific way to go. Seeing the video with the two Ducks it makes me wonder if the one that sunk was not as mechanically or structurally sound as it should have been, or it just got put into a rougher patch of water than the other and simply could not handle it. Still probably should not have been on the Lake, the 'out of nowhere, had no warning' crap is total bullshit. Feel so horrible for all those people and their families.

Geez, wtf is wrong with people? Don't ever interrupt their viewing of a dumb reality show for a local tragedy or they will complain....hard. :rolleyes:

We took our 1 yr old out on one in Boston several years back.

I mean shit folks, one of these things sinks every decade or so (if that). Meanwhile there are literally hundreds of them motoring about the country right this very minute.

They aren't dangerous. If you say you won't put your child in one of those death traps, I can only assume you refuse to do anything with your kid because holy hell, the safety record of these things is really pretty damn good.

Yep. It's pretty sad when people get upset over a "reality" show getting interrupted by reality.