Two injury lawsuits targeting national tour operator Ride The Ducks International have been resolved, one in a verdict for the plaintiffs and the other in a settlement.

The company, which has been in operation for over four decades, has been beset by injury lawsuits over the past several years, alleging negligence and wrongful death. One case, involving a boat that sank near Branson, Mo., was recently settled for an undisclosed amount. Another case filed after a fatal traffic accident in Seattle, ended in a multi-million dollar judgment against the defendant.

These were not the first injury accidents involving Ride The Ducks tour vehicles, but the Seattle incident was the first time the company was found liable in a court of law.

Ride The Ducks International: A Brief History

Ride The Ducks International was founded in 1977 by one Bob McDowell of Branson, Mo. using surplus DUKW amphibious vehicles used by the U.S. military during the Second World War. The vehicles used today are modern, custom-built reproductions, based on the same design. All Ride the Ducks vehicles are required to meet current marine and road safety requirements, while drivers must be certified by the U.S. Coast Guard and hold valid commercial drivers’ licenses.

The First Accident

The first reported accident involving Ride the Ducks occurred in Philadelphia in July of 2010 when the vehicle lost power in the middle of the Delaware River and was hit by a barge. The DUKW sank, claiming two lives.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the tugboat captain had been negligent; he was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. However, Ride The Ducks closed its Philadelphia operations shortly thereafter.

The Seattle Tragedy

The accident in Seattle that killed five people occurred in September 2015. Ride The Ducks of Seattle had purchased the vehicle from the manufacturer in Missouri; however, a recommended front axle repair had not been done.

While the vehicle was traveling on the Aurora Bridge, the axle broke, causing the vehicle to veer into the oncoming lane and collide with a tour bus. Five people were killed.

On Feb. 7, 2019, a King County jury found Ride The Ducks International to be 67 percent liable for the crash, awarding the plaintiffs $123 million. The manufacturer of the vehicle was fined $1 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Table Rock Lake Incident

The accident near Branson, Mo. occurred on July 19, 2018 when the Ride the Ducks vehicle capsized while sailing on Table Rock Lake. Out of 31 passengers, 17 drowned.

A day later, the business was closed down until an investigation was completed. One of the boating accident lawsuits was filed by relatives of two brothers who died and was settled in March 2019 for an undisclosed amount. Other lawsuits against the parent company, Ripley Entertainment, are still pending.

Allegations in the Injury Lawsuits

Lawsuits in the Table Rock Lake accident allege that the company launched the boat that day in spite of a severe weather advisory due to a nearby thunderstorm. The storm generated high winds across the lake, which created the conditions believed to have caused the accident. It is also worth noting that the DUKW used that day was an original vehicle from World War II, built in 1944.