Boston duck tour bus crash spurs new safety bill
Tuesday, 16 Jun, 2016
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Massachusetts lawmakers have proposed new legislation to improve safety of amphibious duck tours following a deadly crash in Boston two months ago.
The proposal was announced at the State House and has been backed by the parents of Allison Warmuth who died in a collision with a Boston Duck Tours vehicle in April.
It would mandate vehicles be fitted with cameras and sensors to monitor blind spots and no drivers should conduct tour commentaries.
A second employee is required to narrate tours under the proposal.
"These are the things that we view as basically common-sense measures that we should move forward now without the need for further delay or investigation," Sen. Brownsberger, bill co-sponsor said.
He was joined by the parents of Allison Warmuth.
"At first we were just shocked and we weren’t really thinking about much beyond our own grief. As we became more aware we started to get really concerned that this was allowed to go on and nothing was being done to prevent this from happening again," said Ivan Warmuth.
The adapted World War II-era amphibious landing vehicles have been involved in fatal collisions elsewhere in the US including Seattle and Philadelphia in recent years.
"We have already installed a new camera on each duck, which will complement the eight existing mirrors to address any blind spots," a statement from Boston Duck Tours said.
"We also plan to add sensory equipment to the front and back of the vehicle in the near term. We await the conclusion of the City of Boston’s investigation and will collaborate with them on any additional safety procedures that they recommend."
Meanwhile another wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Seattle this week over a deadly duck tour vehicle collision last year.
Five people were killed when a ‘Ride the Ducks’ vehicle slammed into a bus carrying college students on Seattle’s Aurora Bridge.
Following investigations, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that crash was caused by a faulty axle on the duck boat vehicle.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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