Table Rock Lake duck boat accident: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 17:59, 20 July 2018
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2018) |
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| Date | 19 July 2018 |
|---|---|
| Time | Around 19:00 (CST) |
| Location | Table Rock Lake, Missouri, United States |
| Cause | Inclement weather |
| Participants | 31 |
| Deaths | 17 |
The Table Rock Lake duck boat accident was an incident that occurred in the evening hours of July 19, 2018, on Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri, in which a duck boat, with thirty-one passengers aboard, overturned during a thunderstorm, resulting in seventeen deaths.[1]
Background
Duck boats are a modification of vehicles typically used by the United States military during the later years of World War II and the Korean War.[2] After the Korean War ended, the vehicles became available in surplus and a veteran in Minnesota began a business giving rides aboard the vessels to tourists on the Wisconsin River. Over the last fifty years, the practice has expanded to other areas of the world and several major cities in the United States feature duck boat tours as an option for tourists, including Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C..[3] In addition to the Table Rock Lake accident, there have been several other notable accidents[4] resulting in fatalities, including one in Seattle in 2015[5] and one near Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1999[6][7] in which five and thirteen people were killed, respectively.
Accident
The accident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 19, 2018, as a line of thunderstorms moved across the region. Approximately a half-hour prior to the accident, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for areas around and including Table Rock Lake.[8] It is not known if the two crew members aboard the vessel were aware of the warning or what action they attempted to take. The National Weather Service reports that winds in the area at the time were in excess of 60 miles per hour and the storm over the lake was moving "very quickly" and causing "three-foot waves on the lake".[1] The vessel, one of two owned by Ride the Ducks Branson that was on the lake at the time,[9] began taking on water as high winds contributed to rough waves. The first 911 call was received at 7:09 PM as the boat was already going under the water, according to the local sheriff.[10] Local officials reported the following morning that all passengers and crew aboard the vessel had been accounted for and confirmed a total of seventeen deaths.[11]
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team of investigators to the accident site on Friday, July 20, 2018, less than twenty-four hours after the accident.[12] In response to previous incidents involving duck boats, the NTSB had issued strong warnings about the design of the vehicles and the danger posed to passengers by their overhead canopies.[13][14]
Jim Pattison, Jr., president of Ride the Ducks, the parent company of Ride the Ducks Branson, which operated the vessel, told the media that the storm that moved through the area and led to the accident "came out of nowhere,"[15][16] which has been disputed by observers.[17]
References
- ^ a b Joyce, Kathleen. "Missouri duck boat capsizes in lake amid violent storm; children among several dead". Fox News. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ Laud, Georgina. "Missouri boat tragedy: 13 dead - What is a duck boat? Are they dangerous?". Express. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Branson duck boat accident: What exactly happened in Missouri tragedy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Before 'mass casualty' incident near Branson, duck boats had history of fatalities". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "NTSB finds probable cause of deadly Seattle duck boat crash". Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "13 Dead In Boat Accident". Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Branson Duck Boat Accident Stirs Memories of Lake Hamilton Tragedy". KARK. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Death Toll Rises to 17 After Missouri Duck Boat Sinks in Severe Storm; All Passengers Accounted For | The Weather Channel". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "17 people killed when duck boat sinks during storm in Missouri, police say". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ Hulsey, Joel. "Branson duck boat tragedy: 17 dead, all passengers accounted for". KSDK.com. Tegna, Inc. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Branson duck boat accident: What exactly happened in Missouri tragedy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "President Trump tweets about duck boat tragedy as Missouri leaders work with NTSB". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Federal agency warned about danger of duck boat canopies before Table Rock tragedy". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "'Death traps': Federal officials have warned about dangers from duck boats for two decades". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Death Toll Rises to 17 After Missouri Duck Boat Sinks in Severe Storm | The Weather Channel". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "Death Toll Rises to 17 After Missouri Duck Boat Sinks in Severe Storm; All Passengers Accounted For | The Weather Channel". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ Shepherd, Marshall. "The Duck Boat Tragedy Was Preventable Because The Storm Did Not 'Come Out Of Nowhere'". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-20.