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Jury awards $123 million to victims of 2015 duck boat crash that killed 5, injured 60

Posted at 5:24 AM, Feb 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-08 07:46:55-05

On Thursday, a Seattle jury awarded $123 million to the victims and families of a 2015 duck boat accident that killed five and injured 60.

On Sept. 24, 2015, a duck boat on a bridge crashed into a charter bus carrying international students. Some witnesses in the case claimed one of the wheels on the duck boat "locked up," causing the vehicle to swerve and crash into the bus.

The NTSB later faulted Ride the Ducks Seattle, the operator of the vehicle, for failing to address a bulletin that warned of problems with the axle housings on the vehicles," according to CBS.

RELATED: At least 38 people have been killed in Duck Boat accidents since 1999

The jury's decision comes just months after 17 people were killed in a duck boat accident in Branson, Missouri — nine of which came from the same Indianapolis family.

Multi-million dollar lawsuits are pending in the Missouri case and the captain of the boat, Kenneth McGee, faces 17-federal charges, including misconduct and negligence.

The duck boat capsized when a fast-moving thunderstorm swept across Table Rock Lake in Missouri.

Duck boats were first used during World War II and can be operated on land and in the water.