WASHINGTON — It’s been more than four years since an Indianapolis family of nine was killed in a duck boat accident on a lake in Missouri. Now a bill in Congress authored by Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN-7th) bolstering safety requirements on duck boats is heading to President Biden’s desk.
The Duck Boat Safety Improvement Act includes several new rules for duck boat operators to adhere to. Carson started working on the legislation after a duck boat filled with tourists sank in windy conditions on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, in 2018.
Nine members of the Coleman family of Indianapolis were killed in the accident. Only Tia Coleman and her nephew, Donovan, survived. In all, 17 of the 31 people aboard the duck boat were killed.
Once signed into law, the act will require vessel operators to implement specific boating safety measures when waterborne, including:
- Improving reserve buoyancy and watertight compartmentalization to prevent sinking,
- Requiring more monitoring and adherence to severe weather alerts and warnings,
- Requiring release of road safety seatbelts when Duck Boats become waterborne,
- Requiring stronger crew safety training and certification,
- Removing or reconfigure canopies and window coverings for waterborne operations,
- Requiring personal flotation devices for waterborne operations,
- Requiring installation of better bilge pumps and alarms,
- Installing underwater LED lights that activate automatically in emergencies, and
- Complying with other Coast Guard boating safety requirements.
Earlier this year three men were charged by the Missouri Attorney General for their roles leading up to the sinking of a duck boat in Branson in 2018. those charges were refiled after being initially dropped.
