Hospital: 5th student dies following Seattle duck boat crash

Five people died and 50 more were injured when the Ride the Ducks vehicle crashed into the bus while crossing the six-lane Aurora bridge that connects downtown Seattle and the Fremont neighborhood. The NTSB said last week that the vehicle’s left-front axle was “sheared off” in the accident.

The state transportation commission said it did not learn of the warning until last weekend and that Ride the Ducks of Seattle had no legal obligation to report it.

Atlanta-based Ride the Ducks worldwide said in a written statement Monday that its other affiliates and licensees had complied with a service bulletin it issued in 2013 to inspect and fix the front axle housing assembly because it could fail. Investigators said the wheels may have locked, but it is “way too early to say anything about probable cause”, Weener said. “It’s our typical companywide inspection”, Gill said.

Four global college students died at the scene, and a fifth – identified as a 20-year-old woman – died Sunday.

All of those killed were college students riding on the charter bus.

Bloodworks Northwest, which supports 90 hospitals in the Northwest, had hundreds of people answer its appeal to donate blood, many waiting into the night at its centers, which include Central Seattle (921 Terry Ave.) and North Seattle (10357 Stone Ave. N.). At least 13 remained hospitalized Sunday.

The amphibious vehicle tours operate around the world, including in Philadelphia; Austin, Texas; Miami; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and London. In 2005, it was refurbished with a General Motors engine and chassis.

Even before Monday, Ride the Ducks of Seattle vehicles had already stopped rolling.

The collision increased scrutiny on the duck boats, which carry tourists on tours and have been involved in a number of deadly crashes in recent years. The investigation could take up to a year, said NTSB board member Earl Weener.

Investigators are also interviewing passengers to put together the sequence of events. They expect to interview the drivers of the charter bus and the amphibious vehicle this week.

“The mayor and the governor called for a full inspection of the Ride the Ducks vehicles by the utilities and transportation commission and continued suspension of our operations until they conduct this critical work”, said Ride the Ducks Owner Brian Tracey at a Sunday news conference.