Thread: Duck boat victims include 9 from one family, ship's driver, tourists

Originally Posted by MW

jtdc wrote (excerpt):



Out of curiosity, what do you mean by processed? Are these CO2 self-inflated vest, buckle, or buckle and zip life vest?

I don't know it they are CO2 inflated or just foam-filled. But if they are worn, they must be folded and inspected before being returned to the rack. It is like merchandise in a store, like clothing that you try on, the employees must fold them properly and put pins in them before putting them back on the shelf or hanging them on the rack.

You can see that if all the life vests are taken down, when the boat comes in, it has to be prepped before the next load of passengers get on. Schedules get behind.

How to make duck boats safer

The Editorial Board, USA TODAY
Published 8:21 p.m. ET July 23, 2018 | Updated 9:04 p.m. ET July 23, 2018

In Branson, Missouri, three commonsense steps could have saved 17 tourists: Our view

Duck boats can be fun to ride. Amphibious vehicles with a history that goes back to the D-Day landing in World War II, they draw tourists for sightseeing trips that glide effortlessly from land into water like, well, ducks.

But they can also be deadly, as tragically proven last week in a raging storm on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, where 17 people, including nine members of one family, drowned.

Duck boat operators — and the federal agencies supposed to regulate and oversee them — have had plenty of warnings about the dangers after other fatal accidents.

The deadliest, until now, occurred nearly 20 years ago, when the Miss Majestic sank in just about a minute on a Arkansas lake, killing 13, including three children. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated and, in a 2002 report, warned of the boats’ inherent dangers and recommended numerous safety fixes.

The key was that operators provide “reserve buoyancy” for the boats, which are “vulnerable to rapid swamping and sinking.” Survivors of the Miss Majestic said the boat sank so swiftly, there wasn’t time for passengers to escape.

The Coast Guard, which regulates the boats’ water operations, did not agree with the recommendation and instead offered alternative approaches to making duck boats stable and preventing passengers from being trapped in a sinking vessel.

After last week’s disaster, former NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said the boats should be banned. But more than 100 were operating early this year and short of banning them, these commonsense steps by operators and regulators might have prevented the tragedy and could go a long way to preventing future ones:

►Watch the weather. On the day of the accident, a severe thunderstorm watch for southwest Missouri, including Table Rock Lake, was issued at 11:20 a.m. The first “severe thunderstorm warning,” meaning a storm was imminent, came at 6:32 p.m., and authorities got their first report of the sinking boat about half an hour later. It’s unclear precisely when the boat went into the water. But in a era when weather radar is available on every smartphone, it's inexcusable for operators, who hold passengers’ safety in their hands, to be taken by surprise by severe storms.

►Mandate life preservers. One survivor said that while crew members pointed out where the life jackets were, they said there was no need to put them on. Talk about asking for trouble. Life jackets should be mandated, which would require another change long sought by the NTSB. If the canopy creates a hazard, roll it back when the boat's in the water. The NTSB warned in 2002 that canopies can trap drowning passengers, which could also happen when they are wearing life jackets and float to the top of the water in an accident. The answer is to fix the dual problems. It's certainly not to tell passengers to skip the life jackets.

►Improve buoyancy. The 1999 sinking showed how vulnerable duck boats are when they start taking on water. Not only did the NTSB recommend added buoyancy, but the Coast Guard in its final report concluded that had the boat “been fitted with watertight compartmentation or flotation materials,” it would not have sunk or it would have gone down slowly enough for passengers to escape. Those changes, if not already required, should be implemented immediately.

Some of those with responsibility for duck boats — including Ripley Entertainment, which owns the Branson location of Ride the Ducks, and the Passenger Vessel Association, which has operators as members — were ducking safety questions Monday.

But someone will have to answer for the 17 tourists who went out for a fun ride Thursday and never came back.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...tes/823052002/

Originally Posted by jtdc

Okay, you don't believe a person who was on the boat!

The point is, once used, they must be processed, not just put back. And that costs extra money. So the crew might hesitate suggesting their use, until it is too late, as in this situation.

I do not believe they were told NOT to put on a vest when the weather hit.

I do not believe whoever was driving the boat during the storm got on the microphone and said "nobody put on a vest".

I do not think they got on the microphone at all as they were focused on getting that boat back to shore as quickly as possible during rough waves.

So someone needs to ask "Tia"...just WHEN did they tell you not to wear a vest? At shore? Or when the storm hit? Please clarify this statement.

They were probably told it was not necessary to wear one during the ENTIRE boat ride when they were AT the shore as they were boarding.

Life jackets are there for you to grab in the EVENT of an emergency.

I have been on many Ferries. Life jackets are clearly visible for emergency use. NO ONE put on a life jacket on a Ferry ride.

I was on the Glass Bottom Boat in Silver Springs, FL. Life jackets are CLEARLY visible for your use in the event of an emergency. No one is required to wear one the entire boat ride.

I was on a 1929 vintage boat tour on Seneca Lake, life jackets are CLEARLY visible for your use during an emergency. We were not required to wear one the entire lake tour.

I have been on many boat tours in OH, NY, HI, NC, AR, all over the US. Never were we required to put on a life jacket during the whole tour...but they were clearly visible and accessible in case of emergency.

That boat is about 8 feet wide to navigate the roads, you stand up and life jackets are right above your head. You are sitting on a bench right next to a large window to escape.

Those LARGE windows have plastic roll up covers you can easily jump out of. Those windows were at water level, water coming in and ANY boat will sink.

Grab a jacket and get off the boat.

The boat that sank in Hot Springs, it was a clear day, the rear seal blew and water was coming up the floor boards. If you are sitting on a boat and water is coming up the floor...it WILL sink. Grab the life jacket and go out the window. Nobody did, they sat there and those windows were side open and no cover on them.

The last thing anybody is thinking about is "processing" a life jacket to put back on a shelf during an emergency.

Originally Posted by Judy

How to make duck boats safer

Pretty much what we have been saying!

Originally Posted by jtdc

Pretty much what we have been saying!

Yep. Pretty easy to solve sounds to me. Their record through the years has been good. Very few accidents, but when they have one, the death count is very high. What might help the most and costs nothing is to roll that canvass top back when it's in the water, then everyone can get out immediately. They're just on the boat for an hour including their loading and unloading time, so you don't need a sun shield for such a short excursion. It's healthier, too, soak up some good natural Vitamin D from the sun plus you can see the sky and watch the weather better ... just in case someone didn't hear the weather report or didn't interpret it properly.

Originally Posted by Beezer

I do not believe they were told NOT to put on a vest when the weather hit.

I do not believe whoever was driving the boat during the storm got on the microphone and said "nobody put on a vest".

I can either believe what you "think", or what the woman who was there said in the article Judy just quoted from.

Originally Posted by Beezer

I have been on many Ferries. Life jackets are clearly visible for emergency use. NO ONE put on a life jacket on a Ferry ride.

Did they give you an orientation on emergency procedures when you got on board?

Originally Posted by Beezer

That boat is about 8 feet wide to navigate the roads, you stand up and life jackets are right above your head. You are sitting on a bench right next to a large window to escape.

And when the high waves hit and the boat is pitching all over the place, it is a simple task to stand up and grab that life-vest? I don't think so.

Originally Posted by Beezer

Those LARGE windows have plastic roll up covers you can easily jump out of.

Did you ever try to open the door or window of a sinking car? You can't! The pressure differential makes that impossible. Likewise for these "roll-up windows". When the water is pushing in, you can't swim out against the current.

Originally Posted by Beezer

Those windows were at water level, water coming in and ANY boat will sink.

Again, not true. They could have sprayed several inches of Styrofoam in all the crevasses and and under seats and all. Then if the boat takes on water, it will remain at the surface.

Originally Posted by Beezer

If you are sitting on a boat and water is coming up the floor...it WILL sink. Grab the life jacket and go out the window. Nobody did, they sat there and those windows were side open and no cover on them.

That's the problems with landlubbers in a boat. They are not trained to deal with emergencies and often will freeze in fear.

They have very LARGE windows to get out of, they are sitting in an 8 foot wide boat about the length of your living room sofa right next to a window.

Why did they not get out through the window? They are not glass, they are not steel, they are not covered with plywood.

They are PLASTIC roll up window covers.

You cannot make people use their heads and make a decision to save themselves.

You cannot make people look up, see a life jacket, grab it and get off the boat.

The water was coming on board and they thought they were going to make it to the dock.

Look at the pictures, you can fit a elephant through the window.

Good grief!

Originally Posted by jtdc

I can either believe what you "think", or what the woman who was there said in the article Judy just quoted from.

Did they give you an orientation on emergency procedures when you got on board?

And when the high waves hit and the boat is pitching all over the place, it is a simple task to stand up and grab that life-vest? I don't think so.

Did you ever try to open the door or window of a sinking car? You can't! The pressure differential makes that impossible. Likewise for these "roll-up windows". When the water is pushing in, you can't swim out against the current.

Again, not true. They could have sprayed several inches of Styrofoam in all the crevasses and and under seats and all. Then if the boat takes on water, it will remain at the surface.

That's the problems with landlubbers in a boat. They are not trained to deal with emergencies and often will freeze in fear.

LOL

Have you seen a Duck boat in person? Sat on one, seen how large the windows are.

You "freeze" in fear, then the consequences will not be in your favor.

So now we need "safety" classes to board a plane? How to use the breathing mask that drops from the ceiling...do a trial run? Grab your seat bottom as a flotation device, learn how to use it BEFORE the plane takes off. LOL, that is ridiculous.

How about when you board a plane, put the breathing mask on everyone, hold their floatation seat in their arms the entire flight in CASE of turbulence or the plane skids off the runway. What about an act of whether, a downdraft hits the plane. Freeze in fear? Or protect yourself?

That is absurd.

So every person who boards a boat or Ferry must take "training" classes before they board

They were underwater and in the dark in seconds.

Originally Posted by Judy

They were underwater and in the dark in seconds.

No they were not. A 5 minute video was taken, it was above water and taking on water.

They had every opportunity to get out the window.

If your life is in danger you get out of a burning building.

Gunman comes in a store, you look for an exit.

Train goes off the tracks, you find a opening to get out.

If a boat is taking on water...YOU get off it.

Tragic accident, people chose not to abandon ship.