The reason the hearings are still upcoming is that a Stone County judge ruled in April of this year that there was not enough evidence to prove criminal negligence against the three men. Its been a long night and a very trying night, Rader said. A duck boat sits idle in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks, an amphibious tour operator in Branson, Mo., in July 2018. "We'll miss them tremendously. In December 2022, standards were signed into law that aim to prevent similar accidents, and gave the United States Coast Guard six months to implement them. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the employees had taken the boat, Stretch Duck 7, out on calm waters before winds picked up and heavy rain and lightning battered the region. Three men linked to a deadly duck boat sinking near Branson, Missouri, in July 2018 are facing a total of 63 charges related to the incident, according to a statement from the Missouri . "We remain dedicated to working with the community of Branson, and continuing our support of all those who were impacted by the accident," company spokeswoman Suzanne Smagala-Potts said. A tourist attraction turned into a tragedy five years ago at Branson's Table Rock Lake 17 people drowned when a duck boat sank. Captain Kenneth Scott McKee and two supervisors, Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell, all face a slate of felonies that include at least 17 criminal charges each. Instead, the Joplin couple watched in horror from inside the Showboat Branson Belle as wind-whipped waves swamped a duck boat filled with passengers. Bob Williams, 73, Branson, Mo. A video grab shows a tourist duck boat sinking after taking on water in a lake near Branson, Mo., July 20, 2018. The following morning, a therapy dog visited her in her room at Cox Medical Center. On July 19, 2018, a Stretch . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Captain Kenneth Scott McKee and two supervisors, Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell, are facing a total of 63 charges including first-degree involuntary manslaughter and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Follow her onTwitter @szuchsm. About 35 minutes after leaving the dock near the resort town of Branson on July 19, 2018, Stretch Duck 7, a modified World War II-era landing craft known as a DUKW, was seen struggling to make headway through steep waves as it took on water. [43], In April 2022, all the state charges against the three employees were dismissed. The anniversary of the incident on Table Rock Lake that killed 17 people is July 19. McKee was also subject to additional charges. In hindsight, it is evident that the defendants did not have enough weather information to appreciate the threat of high winds, Judge Blankenship wrote. William and Janice Bright were visiting Branson to celebratetheir 45th wedding anniversary, Karen Abbott William's sister told the Kansas City Star. All rights reserved. Magazines, amphibious duck boat with tourists on board sank, grandmother who died saving her granddaughter, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 17 Dead: The Latest on the Terrible Tragedy of the Branson Duck Boat Sinking. More: Congress passes safety regulations on duck boats, spurred by 2018 Branson tragedy. "I told another person nearby 'It's going down.' BRANSON, Mo. A criminal lawsuit filed by the Missouri Attorney Generals office is still pending. The bill would require the use of life jackets and equipping all duck boats to be more buoyant during emergency flooding. The Stone County Sheriffs Office on Friday released the names of the 17 victims. The couple was in Branson to celebrate Hamann's birthday. Check out Amazons best back-to-school deals to get what your kids need. The boat sank during a violent storm, killing 17 people. On July 18, Hawley wrote a letter to the Coast Guard, urging them to issue new guidance as soon as possible. A handout frame grab made available by the Southern Stone County Fire Protection District shows responding agencies after an amphibious duck boat reportedly capsized on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Mo., July 19, 2018. Charlie Riedel/AP On Friday, the Missouri Attorney General and Stone County Prosecutor filed 63 criminal charges against three employees on duty when tragedy struck. What we know about the Missouri duck boat disaster | CNN A duck boat sits idle in the parking lot of Ride The Ducks, an amphibious tour operator in Branson, Mo., on July 20, 2018. As Ive said previously, my Office is committed to fighting for justice on behalf of the 17 people that were tragically killed in 2018 thats why we re-filed the charged in this case, Schmitt shared after filing the charges. At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. "It got closer to us on the Showboat and you could see water going into the boat," she said. Rader said Friday morning that he did not have more information about whether the boat operators had checked the weather forecast before leaving shore or whether passengers had been wearing life jackets on board. Im just like Wow. Im like I can see why a duck boat sank, said Mike Moore, Southern Stone County Fire Protection District Deputy Chief. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. He was the one person It was just him and I," she said. According to North West Transport spokesperson Alpheus Koonyaditse, a total of seven people, including four women and three men . She isn't sure why she's still here, out of them all. First responders remember a night they wish to forget. TRAGIC ANNIVERSARY: Remembering the victims of the duck boat sinking in [42] Lanham and Baltzell were each charged with 17 felony counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, and are accused of failing to relay the weather conditions that day, and also "failing to cease operations during a severe thunderstorm warning". On July 7, 2010, a barge pushed by a tugboat struck a duck boat stranded in the Delaware River off Penn's Landing after an engine fire. It appeared there were life jackets on board, Rader said, but it was not yet clear how many people were wearing them. All but nine of them were ignored, including a key recommendation to add "reserve buoyancy" to the boats, allowing them to stay afloat after taking on water. "I couldn't hear screams, it felt like I was out there on my own," Tia Coleman said. A park ranger patrols an area, July 20, 2018, near where a duck boat capsized the night before resulting in at least 13 deaths near Branson, Mo. The judge additionally opined that he did not feel like the "evidence supports those levels of criminal intent as defined by statute." Are they dangerous? One of the company . The general manager of the Duck Boat company, Curtis Lanham, and the manager, Charles Baltzell, are charged with 17 counts of involuntary manslaughter. As of January, the company faced 28 wrongful death or personal injury claims in connection with the tragedy. People pray by a car thought to belong to a victim of Thursday's boating accident before a candlelight vigil in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks, July 20, 2018, in Branson, Mo. [48], In January 2020, the final lawsuit against Ripley Entertainment was settled for an undisclosed amount. The couple was celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary when they died on the duck boat ride. The courageous efforts of emergency responders and civilian rescuers helped avert an even worse tragedy, as people rushed to help in extremely dangerous conditions. The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Branson area Thursday evening. Missouri AG refiles charges in Branson duck boat sinking : NPR At 11:30 p.m. that night, officials confirmed that 11 people had died. ", "I see two boats in the water and the waves were justgoing over the top of the one that sank," Carr said. "We saw a couple of people sitting down on the walkway, five or six people.". They were later modified for use as sightseeing vehicles for tours that begin on land before going into water. These Are The Victims Of The Missouri Duck Boat Accident That will happen in the coming days, according to the USCG. "We're very resilient.". In January, Missouri U.S. Sens. 2023 www.news-leader.com. It can travel on both land and water, based on World War II vehicles that transported people and supplies between ships and shore. "I have no idea," Coleman said. "It's a waste of time, it needlessly prolongs pain for all involved and Mr. Baltzell has not committed any crime," said Justin Johnston, an attorney who represents Baltzell. On Friday morning the operators website was replaced by an image of a black ribbon, with a statement reading: We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred at Ride The Ducks Branson. Jeff and Jennie Carr hoped their first time visiting Table Rock Lake would be a memorable one for their 15th wedding anniversary. In August 2018, Hawley sued Branson Duck Vehicles LLC and Ripley Entertainment Inc. for alleged violations of state law meant to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices. All those details will come in time, but for right now, its about really trying to protect the families, to unite the families and to deal with the situation theyre in. Branson 'Ride the Ducks' Boat Accident Scene Video William Asher,69,andRosemarie Hamann, 68 Missouri. Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for the Missouri attorney generals office, said in a statement on Tuesday that the office was disappointed in the courts decision. Kenneth Scott McKee, who was piloting the boat when it sank, and employees Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell were charged. An alert was aired to first responders in the Stone County area. He was indicted in November 2018 on 17 counts of misconduct, negligence and inattention to duty by a ship's officer. The crash is one of the deadliest U.S. boating tragedies in recent history and has drawn national attention to the southwest Missouri tourist town of 10,000. Judge Blankenship dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning that prosecutors could bring charges again. I've tried it. Some of the evidence will be taken back to Washington, D.C., for further analysis, according to an NTSB representative. He also said that there was no evidence that Mr. McKee, the captain, who had 16 years of experience, had an affirmative duty to require passengers to wear flotation devices. The U.S. Senate passed the bill during it latest go-around, but legislation has not made it through the House. "As I've said previously, my Office is committed to fighting for justice on behalf of the 17 people that were tragically killed in 2018 that's why we re-filed the charges in this case," Schmitt said in a statement. He represents many of the survivors including Tia Coleman who lost her husband and children. "We'll be working arduously to determine what happened, why it happened and how to prevent it from happening again," NTSB member Earl Weener said Friday. Magazines, Digital In April 2020, the NTSB released findings of its investigation into the sinking of the Ride the Ducks vessel. Attorneys for the defendants are disappointed in Schmitt's decision, KCUR reported. Four states, including Missouri, were represented among the fatalities. During a teleconferenced meeting of the National Transportation Safety Board ahead of the release of the agency's final report on the accident, investigator Brian Young also said the accident could have been avoided if the operator of the Ride the Ducks attraction had heeded weather warnings of an impending derecho. One child and one adult have been released. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said "we're disappointed in the court's decision", and our office hopes to refile charges and continue this case. [26], Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley Entertainment (who bought the Ride the Ducks Branson location in 2017),[27][28] told the media that the storm "came out of nowhere",[29] then moved through the area and led to the accident. Ride The Ducks Branson was acquired by entertainment giant Ripley in December 2017. On July 19, 2018, a Branson Ride the Ducks boat got caught in a severe storm and sank on Table Rock Lake with 31 people on board. 5 years since Branson duck boat tragedy left 17 dead. Ride the Ducks was a national duck tour operator and eponymous tourist attraction in some parts of the United States and Guam.It made use of amphibious vehicles, nicknamed "ducks", to provide tours of cities by boat and by land.. Ride the Ducks was purchased by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation in 2004. The coast guard has to step up, take responsibility, and implement the regulations that Congress mandated that they do, he said. To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. This is a terrible tragedy for all involved, Justin Johnston, a lawyer for Mr. Baltzell, said. Officials intent to try and salvage the vessel and are working with the owner, NTSB and experts in naval architecture to have a proper salvage plan in place. President Joe Biden signed the standards into law on Dec. 23 as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. It was leaning to the right. CBS News correspond. Videos posted on local media showed two boats struggling to make it to shore on Table Rock Lake amid heavy windy and choppy waters. [41], In July 2021, state charges were filed by the Stone County prosecutor against McKee, Lanham, and Baltzell. 5 years after tragedy on Table Rock Lake law aimed at increasing duck boat safety still not implemented, Dadeville man killed after swerving utility truck to allow a wheel loader more room on the road, Greene Co. Highway Department addresses why theres no striping on some county roads.

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