Ride the Ducks Seattle crash victims awarded $123 million
A jury awarded victims and families about $123 million in damages from a deadly Seattle tour bus crash.
Operator Ride the Ducks of Seattle was accused of gross negligence in failing to properly maintain its fleet of duck boat amphibious vehicles.
However fellow defendant Ride the Ducks International was deemed to be more at fault as it supplied the vehicles.
Duck boat vehicles have been involved in several high profile accidents on land and in the water across the country in recent years.
Five foreign college students died and scores were injured when the duck boat crashed into a college tour bus on Seattle’s Aurora Bridge.
The city of Seattle and the state of Washington were found not to be at fault over alleged negligence in not installing a median barrier on the bridge.
A faulty front axle on the vehicle was determined to be the main cause of the crash.
The multi-million dollar award comes after a four-month trial.
Awards for each of the 40 plaintiffs ranged from $40,000 to $25 million.
TravelMole Editorial Team
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.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers