boston duck tour death

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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• Duck Boat Accident

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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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Boston duck tours comments on missouri tragedy that killed 17, seventeen people, including children, died in thursday's tragedy..

Mike Carraggi , Patch Staff

BOSTON, MA — The company behind Boston's Duck Boat Tours issued a statement following a duck boat tragedy in Missouri that resulted in 17 dead , including children. Boston Duck Tours expressed support for the families of those who were lost, while reassuring the public that its iconic Boston Duck Boats only go into the Charles River when conditions are safe to do so.

"Our thoughts go out to the families of all those involved in yesterday's tragedy in Branson, MO.," Boston Duck Tours said Friday morning, hours before four more bodies were recovered from scene, raising the fatality total to 17.

>>>Read: More Than A Dozen Dead In Missouri Duck Boat Tragedy

Find out what's happening in Boston with free, real-time updates from Patch.

"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," Boston Duck Tours said.

The company said it always monitors weather and do not allow the boats to go into the Charles River "if there is lightning in the area of conditions are forecasted to exceed our operating parameters set by the US Coast Guard."

Boston Duck Tours instituted more safety measures following a 2016 crash that killed a 28-year-old woman who was riding a moped.

Photo by Jenna Fisher, Patch

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The Latest: Group ‘cooperating’ after fatal duck boat crash

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BOSTON (AP) — The Latest on a woman driving a scooter struck and killed by a duck boat in Boston (all times local):

A spokesman for Boston Duck Tours says the tour group is cooperating with police after one of its amphibious sightseeing vehicles struck and killed a 29-year-old woman on a scooter in downtown Boston.

Spokesman Bob Schwartz said in an email Saturday the company was trying to obtain video footage to see what exactly had occurred.

The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. near public park Boston Common.

A city police department spokeswoman said the woman and her male passenger were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where the woman died from her injuries. The passenger suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The police spokeswoman says there were about 30 passengers on the vessel, known as a duck boat, when the crash happened. There were no other injuries.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

A 29-year-old woman has died after the scooter she was driving was struck by an amphibious sightseeing vehicle in downtown Boston.

The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Saturday right near public park Boston Common.

The spokeswoman says there were about 30 passengers on the vessel, known as a duck boat, when the crash happened. There were no other injuries.

A Boston Duck Tours spokesman didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. A person who answered the company’s phone declined to comment.

No further details were immediately available.

A woman has died after she was struck by an amphibious sightseeing vehicle in downtown Boston.

A city police department spokeswoman said the person hit was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans told WCVB-TV the woman had died.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether passengers were on the vessel, known as a duck boat, when the crash happened.

A Boston Duck Tours spokesman didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

There’s no word on the cause of the crash.

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.

Boston Duck Tours Return Under New Rules Following Fatal Collision

By katelyn flint • published march 21, 2017 • updated on march 21, 2017 at 6:23 am.

Boston Duck Tours hit the streets for the 23rd season Tuesday with new regulations in place after a young woman was killed by a duck boat near the common last year. 

Two tour guides will be seen on each duck boat, one to operate and the other to give the tour. 

This is a voluntary change, according to the company, who made the announcement over the summer. 

It comes after the death of 28-year-old Alison Warmuth, who was killed in a collision with a duck boat in April. 

Her death prompted the filing of legislation calling for two operators and also, if passed, the addition of sensors and cameras on each duck boat. 

Each year the tour vehicles carry about 600,000 guests a season. 

The company had planned to train and hire up to 50 more employees to be in place for this season. 

In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.

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They're marking the start of the season by giving free rides to Boston residents. 

Those free rides are for Boston residents Tuesday until Friday at 9, 9:30, and 10. a.m. Residents will need to provide an ID showing they live in Boston. 

This article tagged under:

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.

Related Articles

(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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One year since the Missouri duck boat tragedy, tours across the US are still running

INDIANAPOLIS – A year after a duck boat sank on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, killing 17 people including nine members of an Indianapolis family, duck boats are still operating across the country.

From California to Maine, more than a dozen duck boat tours were still running as of July 1, according to websites for the tours. The tourist attraction typically consists of a ride on land and in water, during which riders can see and often learn about attractions and landmarks.

The boats, though, have long raised questions of whether the amphibious vehicles are safe enough for passengers. Over the last two decades , collisions resulting in fatalities on both land and water have occurred in several cities, including Boston and Seattle, where duck boat tours are still operating.

The Branson tragedy on July 19, 2018, intensified those concerns, prompting lawmakers and safety experts to call for safety regulations  and complete bans . Tia Coleman, a survivor of the Branson sinking who lost her husband, daughter and two sons,  said she draws hope from their memory "to fight to ban dangerous, death trap duck boats," according to a statement provided Tuesday to the Indianapolis Star. 

History of accidents: Before accident in Branson, Missouri, duck boats had history of fatalities

'Death traps': Federal officials have warned about dangers from duck boats for two decades

Ride the Ducks in Branson stopped operating, and its building closed after the sinking. It's now a laser tag attraction, the Springfield (Missouri) News-Leader reports.

Other duck boat tours, however, remain open for business. Here’s where you can ride one: 

Hot Springs, Arkansas

One of the country's worst duck boat sinkings occurred two decades ago in Hot Springs. Thirteen people died when the Miss Majestic sank on May 1, 1999. Facing a lawsuit brought by families of the victims, the owner of Land & Lake Tours Inc., sold the company's assets, the News-Leader reported .

Now, duck boat tours of historic landmarks in Hot Springs are offered by National Park Duck Tours. 

Boston Duck Tours navigates the city and the Charles River, offering riders a tour of the city’s neighborhoods, landmarks and popular destinations.

This particular tour is no stranger to scrutiny. Calls to implement enhanced safety measures came after a fatal collision in 2016 . A woman riding a motor scooter in downtown Boston was killed when a duck boat overtook the scooter as both vehicles were driving, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board . The female driver was killed.

End tours: Ban duck boat tours, says former NTSB chairman after fatal Branson sinking

Charges: Captain during Missouri duck boat tragedy indicted on 17 counts of 'seaman's manslaughter'

After the accident, Massachusetts lawmakers passed a law that prohibits duck boat drivers from simultaneously performing as both a narrator and tour guide, the Associated Press reported.

A spokesman with Boston Duck Tours said the tour prioritizes safety and continues to “operate in full compliance with US Coast Guard, Department of Transportation and local agency regulations.”

Ride the Ducks in Seattle, which provides riders views of the Seattle Aquarium and the original Starbucks, among other tourist spots, was involved in a deadly collision during one of its tours on Sept. 25, 2015.

A Duck 6 amphibious vehicle collided with a vehicle on the Aurora bridge, killing five passengers and injuring 71 others . 

A spokesperson for the company said the Branson incident was a "horrible tragedy," adding that Ride the Ducks in Seattle is a separate company with its own safety protocols.

Lawsuit: Duck boat survivor who lost 9 family members sues boat operators, manufacturer

Survivor's story: 'I thought I was dead': Branson duck boat passenger who lost 9 family members shares survival story

“For example," the statement said, "we travel in the protected waters of Lake Union and the Lake Washington Ship Canal, never more than 1,000 feet from shore and in close proximity to numerous, easily accessible exits. We begin monitoring weather conditions prior to our morning staff briefing and continue to track conditions throughout the day."

“Also, our vessels are equipped with watertight bilge compartments and quick-release safety windows, which allow the crew to automatically eject windows and provide immediate exit routes for passengers and crews. Our crews, including our U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captains, complete rigorous safety trainings, including open-water drills on a regular basis.”

Here are other cities with duck boat tours:

• Miami Beach
• West Palm Beach

Rhode Island

Washington, d.c..

• Wisconsin Dells

Contributing: USA TODAY and the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader. Follow Crystal Hill on Twitter: @crysnhill

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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.

Do Boston duck tours go in the water?

Yes. Boston Duck Tours splash into the Charles River for approximately 20 minutes of each 80 minute city tour. According to the tour website, you will not get wet on the tour, but could get a light spray depending on the wind direction.

How many championship parades have used the duck boats?

The duck boats have been used for championship parades in Boston since 2002. The Boston Duck Boat website states, "Boston Duck Tours, over the years, has had the honor and pleasure of hosting four of Boston’s sports teams in Rolling Rally Championship parades 12 different times."

According to the website, with duck boats "players could stand on, and wave to the crowds below. It was close enough to get these players right up to their fans. But, also far enough to keep them from being mobbed by the crowds."

A brief history of duck boats

The History Channel explained that allied troops used duck boats to get artillery, supplies and soldiers ashore during  World War II .

" DUKW boats made their first appearance in combat during the 1943  invasion of Sicily  known as Operation Husky," History.com states. "The name 'DUKW' corresponded to General Motors’ manufacturing code (“D” is “1942 model,” “U” is “amphibious,” “K” is “all-wheel drive,” and “W” is “dual rear wheels”). Soldiers simplified this by calling them “ducks.”

"Like actual ducks, these boat-trucks with wheels looked a little awkward. But their weird design is what allowed troops to drive the vehicles from water onto land—a crucially important task."

Where do the duck boats depart from in Boston?

According to the Boston Duck Tour website , there are three departure locations:

• Prudential Center, 53 Huntington Ave.
• Museum of Science, One Science Park.
• New England Aquarium, Central Wharf.

How many duck boat tour companies are there in Boston?

Boston Duck Tours is the only duck tour company in Boston.

Do other cities have duck boats?

There are other states that do duck boat tours , like Tennessee, Alaska, Wisconsin, California, Florida, Maine and Texas, among others.

Duck boat tour passengers spot dead body in Charles River

BOSTON (WHDH) - Passengers taking a duck boat tour of Boston called police Monday morning after spotting a dead body in the Charles River, officials said.

State police received a 911 call about 11 a.m. after the captain of a duck boat tour noticed a body floating in the area of the Longfellow Bridge.

A State Police Marine Unit responded to the scene and pulled the body of a 59-year-old Boston man from the water.

Warren Dawson and Jillian Casey, both of whom are visiting the city from Britain, were on the boat when passengers pointed out the body.

“Everybody looked and we could see a head sticking out above the water,” Dawson said.

Although the duck boat continued its tour after police arrived, Casey says everyone’s mood changed drastically.

“Very subdued afterward,” she said. “To be honest, I would have rather got off. It wasn’t great.”

The man, whose name has not been released, had previously been reported missing, according to a spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of his death.

Foul play is not suspected.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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At least 3 fatal Duck-tour accidents nationally since ’99

Before Thursday's collision, at least 3 other fatal accidents involving Duck vehicles had been reported since '99.

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Before Thursday’s multiple-fatality collision in Seattle, at least three other fatal accidents involving Duck tourist vehicles had been reported nationally since 1999, federal records, news reports and interviews show.

The latest accident occurred in Philadelphia in May, when one of the amphibious military vehicles-turned-tourist conveyors struck and killed a Texas woman at a busy intersection during rush hour, news reports show. In 1999, 13 people drowned when a Duck sank in Arkansas due to a dislodged rubber seal.

Other serious-but-non-fatal Duck accidents have occurred in Boston, London and Liverpool, news reports show.

Such Duck-involved fatalities have periodically cast a pall over an otherwise jovial niche-tourist business that exploded in the 1990s and now has firms operating Ducks in cities nationwide.

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In Seattle, Ride the Ducks of Seattle, LLC — the local firm involved in Thursday’s fatal wreck on the Aurora Bridge — had claimed a relatively solid safety record, according to interviews with regulators, the company’s owner and former drivers.

Driver training “is generally quite good,” said Christian Holtz, a former Duck “captain” in Seattle who now works as a driver’s education instructor. “They do have a pretty rigorous safety program.”

But a local lawyer who represented a motorcyclist who says he was run over by a Duck in downtown Seattle four years ago warns the vehicles can be hazardous.

“These things have restricted sightlines, they’re big and they’re not super maneuverable,” said Steve Bulzomi, a personal-injury attorney based in Tacoma. “I personally don’t feel comfortable driving around them.”

Brian Tracey, owner of Ride the Ducks of Seattle, defended the company’s safety record after the tragedy. All of his Duck vehicles routinely “pass with flying colors” safety inspections conducted by the state and the Coast Guard, he said.

Records and interviews largely support Tracey’s statements.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission last inspected Ride the Ducks of Seattle in December 2012, giving the firm a “satisfactory” rating — the rating necessary for such passenger tour firms to operate in this state.

That review included checking that the company’s 35 drivers at the time had all required licenses and certifications, and that its 17 amphibious vehicles then operating were roadworthy.

“The company is very safety oriented and has retrofitted all vehicles/vessels with up to date vehicle components,” the inspector wrote.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle also reported Thursday it annually inspects the company’s 20 Ducks now in operation to ensure they’re fit to operate in Lake Union. The agency has no record of any safety incident involving a Duck in Seattle waters, and a spokesman said Duck #6 — the vehicle involved in Thursday’s accident — was last inspected and approved for operations in March.

Albert Zakharenko, who drove a Duck for Tracey’s company for about a year, said Ride the Ducks takes safety and maintenance seriously.

Zakharenko noted he was fired in 2014 after a Duck he was piloting had a near- collision with a tugboat on Lake Union. “It was my fault, and I accepted it,” Zakharenko said.

Despite his dismissal, Zakharenko defended Tracey’s company.

“The guys who are running the preparation of new drivers, they do an amazing job,” he said. “You come in there, you don’t know how to drive this horrible vehicle, and after the training you are basically a pro.”

Bulzomi said that while representing his motorcyclist client, Austin Porter, “we found two or three rear-enders prior to ours.” The Seattle Times also has reported on at least three roadway accidents involving Ducks in recent years.

According to Porter’s lawsuit , he was stopped at a light at Third Avenue and Pike Street in Oct. 10, 2011, when a Duck struck him from behind, then drove over him and his bike.

“I can only say the case has been resolved,” said Bulzomi, who noted he is bound by a confidentiality restriction from detailing that resolution.

As a result of Porter’s lawsuit, Bulzomi did say Ride the Ducks agreed to install cameras on the front of each Duck so that drivers can see parts of the roadway on a monitor that otherwise could be obscured. Bulzomi said Tracey’s company didn’t agree to another of Porter’s requests, however: that Ride the Ducks hire separate tour guides so that drivers won’t be responsible for narrating tours while driving.

That issue is a legitimate safety concern, former driver Holtz said.

“When you’re operating as it usually is, the driver wears many different hats,” said Holtz, who captained a Duck from 2007 to 2009. “He’s an entertainer, he plays music, he tells jokes, and he does the driving.”

The city of San Francisco now bars tour drivers from also acting as narrators, after a motorized cable car hit and killed a woman there last year. Since approval of that law, which requires a different person to fill the tour guide’s role, the Duck tours in that city closed, citing a “challenging business environment.”

Other fatalities involving Ducks include a Duck being overrun by a tugboat-towed barge in 2010 in the Delaware River in Philadelphia, drowning two student tourists from Hungary.

Information in this article, originally published Sept. 24, 2015, was corrected Sept. 25, 2015. A previous version of this story misidentified a vehicle that was involved in a fatal accident in Canada. The “Lady Duck” tour vehicle that sank in Ottawa in 2002, killing four people, was a truck modified to float on water similar to Duck vehicle, but it was not an actual Duck.

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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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