She was one of about 45 students and staff from North Seattle College who were traveling Thursday to the city’s Pike Place Market and Safeco Field for orientation events when the duck boat suddenly swerved into their oncoming charter bus.
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Ride the Ducks Seattle CEO Brian Tracey has not commented on whether his company complied with the bulletin, but promises to cooperate fully with investigators.
Officers investigate the scene of a crash between a tour bus and a tourist duck boat on the Aurora Bridge in Seattle, Washington on September 24, 2015. 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.
Witnesses described seeing the duck boat’s left front tire lock up Thursday before it veered into the bus on a bridge.
A duck boat involved in a deadly Seattle traffic crash did not have an axle fix that was recommended for the amphibious vehicle in 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
“We will not return any of the fleet to service until we can demonstrate that our fleet is well-maintained, road-worthy and safe through an independent inspection of every Duck vehicle we operate”, he said.
The Utilities and Transportation Commission met in an emergency session Monday to keep the converted military vehicles off the streets pending inspections and a review of driver records. The federal agency has scrutinized duck tour vehicles several times when they’ve been in accidents on water.
Ride the Ducks worldwide told authorities late Saturday about the warning, Weener said.
Tracey said the captains are certified by the Coast Guard and licensed as commercial drivers, and they are required to take continuing education once a month. No patients remain at NW Hospital and Medical Center.
There are new questions about the safety of Ride the Ducks and now the state has taken drastic action.
The U.S. Army-surplus vehicle that crashed was built in 1945 and refurbished in 2005, Weener said, adding there were about 100 similar trucks in service nationwide.
The recommendation was from Ride the Ducks global – Seattle’s Duck operation is a franchise.
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“The recorders’ group has removed the electronic engine control module, or ECM, from the motor coach and we’ll send it to our labs in Washington, D.C. for further analysis”, Weener said.
