WA: 5th victim dies from duck boat crash

Seattle, WA-Federal investigators determined the left front axle of the Duck boat involved in a fatal crash in Seattle last week was sheared off.

A team was sent by the National Transportation Safety Board to Seattle to investigate.

A deadly collision last week in Seattle between a duck boat and a charter bus carrying worldwide college students has prompted a federal investigation.

A total of 51 people were transported to area hospitals following the accident.

Ride the Ducks worldwide, which refurbished the boat in 2005, issued a warning to its customers two years ago about potential axle failure and recommended a specific fix or increased monitoring, NTSB member Earl Weener said. Thirteen remained hospitalized Sunday.

This comes just days after a crash on the Aurora Bridge between a “Ride the Ducks” vehicle and a Bellair Charter Bus collided.

Governor Inslee said, “I believe that until we can be assured that each of these vehicles and drivers have been inspected they should not be back on Seattle streets”. One witness told KOMO earlier this week the duck’s left-front wheel appeared to lock up before the crash, and NTSB investigators found damage on the axle as well as surrounding components.

The rate of crashes on the bridge is only about that on the rest of Aurora Avenue North, which is to be expected, as other stretches have more intersections, traffic lights, turning vehicles and pedestrians.

Inslee and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement Sunday night that the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will meet Monday to discuss its authority to suspend Ride the Ducks of Seattle until the review is complete. The victims and staff from the college were heading to visit a baseball field and an open-air market when their bus crashed with a Ride The Ducks vehicle.

NTSB investigators have interviewed 11 passengers, as well as paramedics and other first responders. They feature former military landing craft repurposed as tour vehicles.