Duck Boat And Tour Bus Collide Killing 4 People
Source: Keith Brofsky / Getty
A fun day on a “duck boat” tour vehicle turned into a nightmare when it collided into their charter bus on a busy bridge, killing four students and injuring dozens. The purpose of the tour was to introduce new international college students to Seattle.
On Thursday Rujia Xie and other North Seattle College students were on their way to the city’s iconic Pike Place Market and Safeco Field for new student orientation events when she heard the crash from the back of the bus. After smelling gas and feelling glass falling on her face, she and others jumped from the bus.
Traveling in the opposite direction, two Philadelphia friends on a road trip across the country, Brad Volm and Bradley Sawhill, were cruising when they claim they saw the duck boat’s left tire “lock up” as it swerved into the charter bus. Their SUV hit another truck head-on, however they escaped injuries. A tour company called Ride the Ducks operates the amphibious vehicle, which offers tours which include exuberant drivers and guides who play loud music and quack through speakers as they lead tourists around the city.
Witnesses said the Aurora Bridge, which the collision occurred on carries one of the city’s main north-south highways over the lake, and is now left a tangled mess of twisted metal, shattered glass and blood. Authorities say 51 people were taken to area hospitals and at least 2 people were in critical condition.
As a result a stretch of highway was closed for hours while traffic investigators looked into what happened. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team of 17 people to Seattle, and Mayor Ed Murray said they were now taking over the investigation.
The cause of the crash, which involved a military-style tour bus that can also be operated on water, is unknown. Initial reports described the accident as a head-on collision.
Company President Brian Tracey said an estimated three dozen people were on board the duck boat, as well as the driver, who is certified by the Coast Guard and a licensed commercial driver. According to Murray the company had voluntarily taken the duck boats off city streets for the time being.
Murray also said officials were contacting consulates because foreign students were on the charter bus. According to witnesses there was a loud screech and then they suddenly saw injured people lying on the pavement or wandering around in a daze.
North Seattle College spokeswoman Melissa Mixon said 45 students and staff with the school’s international programs were on one of two charter buses on their way to downtown Seattle.
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