WASHINGTON — More than four years after a Missouri duck boat sank and killed 17 people — an Indiana congressman's bill aimed at making those boats safer could become law.
Representative André Carson’s (IN-07) Duck Boat Safety Improvement Act passed the House on Thursday and is headed to President Joe Biden's desk.
Nine members of the Coleman family, who lived in Indianapolis, died in the incident on July 19, 2018.
The Act will require vessel operators to implement 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.
"The National Transportation Safety Board made recommendations 20 years ago for safety measures that could have prevented an incident like this from occurring. Sadly, those recommendations were not implemented – until now. Thanks to the advocacy of Tia Coleman, who survived the 2018 incident, countless lives will be saved," Carson said in an email statement. "I want to thank Tia for her tireless advocacy. This multi-year work is dedicated to the Coleman family and all whose lives have been tragically lost in duck boat accidents.”
RELATED: Tia Coleman committed to helping families facing trauma
Three people involved in the the boat company's operations have had charges filed, dismissed and refiled over the last couple of years.
Prosecutors said the tourist boat went into the lake despite warnings of storms in the area. The boat sank after it was swamped by waves caused by the winds, ABC reported.
Kenneth Scott McKee, 54, the captain of the boat; Curtis P. Lanham, 39, the general manager at Ride the Ducks in Branson; and Charles V. Baltzell, 79, the operations supervisor who was a manager on duty when the boat sank each face 17 involuntary manslaughter charges.
Congressman Carson spoke to WRTV's Rafael Sanchez about his bill earlier this year.
