Woman who lost family on duck boat files lawsuit
BRANSON MO NEWS: An Indiana woman whose husband and three children drowned when a duck boat sank in Table Rock Lake during a July storm is asking in a federal lawsuit that the owners of the amphibious vehicles stop manufacturing or operating them in the U.S. and other countries until they are redesigned to be safe.
Tia Coleman, of Indianapolis, filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Ripley Entertainment and five other companies that manufacture and operate the Ride The Ducks tourist attraction.
Besides her husband and children, Coleman lost five relatives on the boat. Seventeen people died when the boat sank July 19 at the lake near Branson. Coleman is seeking financial damages but the lawsuit does not specify the amount.
Tuesday’s suit is the latest in a long line of litigation and investigations. Attorney General Josh Hawley on Friday sued the boat’s owners and operators, alleging that the companies violated the state’s consumer-protection law and put profits above safety.
Duck boat accident survivor Tia Coleman speaks to the media during a news conference at Cox Medical Center Branson Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Branson, Mo. Coleman lost 9 family members in the accident Thursday on Table Rock Lake which left a total of 17 people dead. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Hawley asked a Taney County circuit judge to order the owner and operator —Branson Duck Vehicles, LLC and Ripley Entertainment — to pay restitution and other penalties. The attorney general’s office also is asking that the judge ban the amphibious-vehicle tours from operating, although a Ripley spokeswoman said tours stopped after the July sinking.
“This tragedy should not have happened,” Hawley said in a statement, adding that he hopes the lawsuit will “ensure that unsafe duck boats and companies who put profits ahead of safety will not continue to operate. Consumers have a reasonable …
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