- Seattle Ride the Ducks tour vehicle
(May 11, 2012) The victim of a tour bus accident filed a civil lawsuit in Seattle this Wednesday, seeking an undisclosed amount of damages. One of the Ride the Ducks tour vehicles ran him over and dragged him while he was on his motorcycle, and the suit claims he has incurred over $500,000 in medical bills.
His injuries include a broken pelvis and sacrum, as well as torn ligaments in his knee. He recalls seeing the huge half-bus, half-boat approaching, and he heard screams from the passengers as he prepared to die. “I scrambled to get between the wheels” of the Duck, but his jacket got caught in the undercarriage, and one of the tires ran him over. He adds, “at that point I was just kind of expecting to die, waiting to be crushed.”
The victim’s lawyer claims that “the tour vehicles’ huge hulls and faulty sightlines are hazards to other vehicles on the road.” In addition, the tour drivers’ job is to entertain the passengers, which also creates distractions.
Police records state that there have been three other accidents involving the tour company since December 2010, rear-ending other vehicles stopped at red lights. The drivers in two of those accidents told the police that they could not see the drivers in front of them because of their own vehicles’ height.
These Duck tours provide a unique experience for both tourists and locals alike, as they can drive on the streets and then dip into the waters to provide an amphibious tour. However, if they cannot be operated in a reasonable manner, it seems that their risks outweigh their benefits, and they pose a risk to anyone caught in it’s path. Is this justice?
