Washington regulators: Ride the Ducks can start touring in Seattle
Dec 21, 2015, 1:51 PM | Updated: 2:41 pm
A Washington state law about wrongful death claims stopped three families from seeking compensation after their children died in a September crash involving a Ride the Ducks amphibious vehicle. (AP)
(AP)
Regulators in Washington are sticking with their initial recommendation that Seattle’s Ride the Ducks can resume limited tours following an investigation into a deadly crash last September.
The state Utilities and Transportation Commission and an administrative law judge held a hearing Monday afternoon to consider a staff recommendation that would allow the company to resume limited operations.
Five international college students were killed Sept. 24 when a repurposed military “duck boat” swerved into an oncoming charter bus on Seattle’s Aurora Bridge.
Commission staff found 442 violations and recommended penalties against Ride the Ducks Seattle, but those won’t be considered until a later hearing.
Regulators also proposed issuing an “unsatisfactory” safety rating, based on one “acute” and six “critical” violations, as well as two accidents in 2015.
The UTC has recommended that the tour company’s truck ducks — different vehicles than the stretch boat style vehicle involved in the fatal crash — be allowed back on Seattle roads to conduct tours.
But the City of Seattle has opposed the recommendation, and previously asked for the UTC to halt its approval of limited tours.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
