Law improving duck boat safety moves forward years after Indianapolis family's tragedy

Four years after several members of an Indianapolis family were killed in a duck-boat sinking in Missouri, legislation improving safety regulations on the amphibious vehicles is moving toward becoming law.

Sixteen passengers and one crew member died July 19, 2018, when a duck boat sank during stormy weather in Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. Nine of the passengers killed were members of the Coleman family from Indianapolis.

Tia Coleman and one of her nephews were the only survivors from their family onboard the boat. The legislation focusing on duck-boat safety is from Rep. André Carson, who represents Indiana's 7th District.

“The National Transportation Safety Board made recommendations 20 years ago for safety measures that could have prevented an incident like this from occurring,” Carson said in a statement. “Sadly, those recommendations were not implemented – until now.”

Carson thanked Tia Coleman for her advocacy and said the safety regulations will save lives in the future.

“I'm determined to do all I can to make sure there are no more funerals of duck boat drowning victims,” Tia Coleman said about a month after the tragedy. “There's nothing that can right the wrong because I can't get them back. The only thing that will make this better is that no other family will have to go through what I went through."

Tia Coleman declined to comment on the legislation when reached by phone Friday.

Lawsuits filed against Ripley Entertainment Inc., the duck boat manufacturer, in the wake of the 2018 sinking detailed more than two dozen deaths linked to six duck-boats sinking in the U.S. and Canada. The sinkings date back to 1999, when 13 people died in the sinking of a duck boat in Arkansas, including four victims who were pinned against the ship's canopy.

Previous coverage:Duck boat survivor Tia Coleman files suit: 'These boats can never be allowed to kill again'

In 2002, the National Transportation Safety Board warned that duck boat canopies pose an "unacceptable risk" to passenger safety. The NTSB report urged owners and manufacturers to remove the canopies and make the boats tougher to sink. 

More:Tia Coleman: 'My house is now haunted by silence'

According to a news release from the congressman’s office, the Duck Boat Safety Improvement Act will require vessel operators to implement the following safety measures:

• Remove or reconfigure canopies and window coverings for waterborne operations

• Improve reserve buoyancy and watertight compartmentalization to prevent sinking

• Monitor and adhere to severe weather alerts and warnings

• Release road safety seatbelts when Duck Boats become waterborne

• Strengthen crew safety training and certification

• Provide personal flotation devices for waterborne operations

• Install better bilge pumps and alarms

• Install underwater LED lights that activate automatically in emergencies

• Comply with other Coast Guard boating safety requirements

The legislation is included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. It is expected to pass the U.S. Senate and be sent to the president’s desk in the coming days, said Caroline Ellert, a spokesperson for the congressman’s office.  

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: After Indianapolis family's tragedy, duck boat safety act moves ahead