Branson duck boat tragedy 07/19/18

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

Not sure why they sent the boats out there with severe thunderstorms on the way.

Pure stupidity likely mixed with a good dose of greed. The boat operators knew the storms were coming and changed the route of the tour to try and beat them. Instead of observing common sense and caution for the safety of their customers they blatantly chose to risk it, and then they told the people they wouldn't need their life jackets on top of it all.

Those duck boats are not designed to function in heavy marine weather. They're old military vehicles with flotation devices bolted on. No doubt the operators were aware of this.

The company should be forced out of business and ordered to pay every asset they have to the families of the victims. There is no excuse for this. Innocent people are dead because of their egregious recklessness. They need to be made an example of.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

Pure stupidity likely mixed with a good dose of greed. The boat operators knew the storms were coming and changed the route of the tour to try and beat them. Instead of observing common sense and caution for the safety of their customers they blatantly chose to risk it, and then they told the people they wouldn't need their life jackets on top of it all.

Those duck boats are not designed to function in heavy marine weather. They're old military vehicles with flotation devices bolted on. No doubt the operators were aware of this.

The company should be forced out of business and ordered to pay every asset they have to the families of the victims. There is no excuse for this. Innocent people are dead because of their egregious recklessness. They need to be made an example of.

Also, unless they were out completely in the middle of nowhere, there should have been enough of a reception to receive radar on mobile devices that would have clearly depicted the storms within the vicinity. I can be literally in the middle of nowhere 15 miles from a state highway by the UP of Michigan and still have the radar app on my phone work perfectly fine.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Also, unless they were out completely in the middle of nowhere, there should have been enough of a reception to receive radar on mobile devices that would have clearly depicted the storms within the vicinity. I can be literally in the middle of nowhere 15 miles from a state highway by the UP of Michigan and still have the radar app on my phone work perfectly fine.

Like I said, they knew the storms were coming. I read that they changed the usual course of the tour in order to try and get it in before the weather arrived. They had probably already received the patrons money and didn't want to refund it. Why else would they risk that?

I'm no avid mariner, but even I know enough not to take a craft onto a body of water - and Table Rock is no small body of water - when any sort of heavy weather is in the vicinity. A survivor also reported they were told life jackets wouldn't be necessary, even though they were available. Gee, where have we heard something similar to that before?......oh yeah, Titanic!

Reckless beyond belief.

[yofie]

I'm wondering: Would the wearing - by those aboard the boat - of life jackets have saved at least some of the 17 that perished? Or would that not have made a difference, in light of private investigator Steve Paul's assessment from last year that found numerous faults with various aspects of the duck boat's design?