“For what reason yet we don’t know”, he said.
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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.
Four people were killed Thursday and a fifth -a 20-year-old woman – died Sunday at Harborview Medical center.
Fifteen individuals stay hospitalized – 5 in important situation – after an amphibious tour vehicle and a constitution bus carrying global school college students from North Seattle College collided on a six-lane Seattle bridge Thursday.
More than 50 people were taken to hospitals. They feature former military landing craft repurposed as tour vehicles.
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.
Since the sightseeing vessels are built on chassis manufactured in the 1940s, they are exempt from federal motor vehicle safety standards, Mongeluzzi said. It wasn’t clear what prompted it, how the potential failure was discovered or whether it applied to all duck boats or only those that the company had refurbished, Weener said. Investigators have interviewed 11 surviving passengers, including eight who were on the duck boat, as well as first responders. State inspectors plan to conduct a thorough examination of each of the Duck vehicles-a process that could take a couple of weeks.
“Because of the possibility of continuing safety problems and a current lack of confidence surrounding the company’s operations, we believe it is important to act immediately to protect the public safety”, commission chairman David Danner said.
The suspension also won’t be over until “Ride the Ducks’ entire fleet of vehicles and drivers” is inspected, according to the agency. NTSB investigators have also reviewed reports related to qualifications, training, and vehicle maintenance records for the Ducks.
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Washington state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission announced Monday that the company behind the amphibious tour vehicle that collided with a bus on a Seattle bridge last week can’t resume operations until the investigation into that crash is finished.
