Ride the Ducks

Insurance Costs Cause Philadelphia’s “Ride The Ducks” Boat Tours To Sink

Financial reasons lead the Philadelphia duck boat tours to suspend their tours “indefinitely.”

“Due to circumstances outside of our control including a 330% increase in our insurance premiums, continued operations in Philadelphia are not financially feasible at this time,” the company said in a statement.

Ride the Ducks, which operates land and sea tours in several cities with amphibious vehicles, has faced many incidents and subsequent lawsuits in recent years.  These accidents have cause a substantial hike on insurance premiums.

History of Duck Boat Accidents

On May 1, 1999, passengers aboard a World War II-vintage duck boat panicked and scrambled unsuccessfully for life preservers as the boat took on water and sank in 51 feet of water.  Hot Springs City manager Kent Myers said 13 people were killed.

In June of 2002 four people, including a mother and her two young children, drowned in the Ottawa River when the Lady Duck sank fast near Parliament Hill.  The Lady Duck was a converted Ford pickup.

On July 7, 2010 two Hungarian students died in Philadelphia when a barge towed by a tugboat plowed into a disabled, 33-foot “Ride the Ducks” tour boat, plunging the amphibious vessel and its 35 passengers and two crew members underwater.

On May 8, 2015 a tourist from Texas was run over and killed by a Ride the Ducks vehicle as she walked through one of the Philadelphia’s busiest intersections.

On September 24, 2015, four North Seattle College students were killed and numerous others were injured in a collision between a Ride the Ducks tour vehicle and a charter bus on the Aurora Bridge.

And most recently, on April 30, 2016, a woman in Boston was killed and her boyfriend was injured when a Duck Boat crashed into scooter.

Not surprisingly, many Philadelphia residents feel the streets are now safer due to the suspension of activity.  Just check out twitter!

Ride the Ducks said that it is offering outplacement assistance for its 42 full- and part-time employees in Philadelphia.  The company’s statement continued “Please direct any inquiries to info@ridetheducks.com or call 678-456-5328. We regret having to close our operation and send good wishes and brotherly love to the people of Philadelphia.”

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