by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard arrived in the country music Mecca of Branson, Missouri, yesterday to begin an investigation into the watercraft accident on Table Rock Lake that killed seventeen people, including nine members of one family, during a sudden storm that sprang up on Thursday evening. The victims, aged one-year-old to 76-years-old, were passengers on one of Branson's famed "Duck Boats," land and water contrivances which bear similarities to the landing craft that shuttled Allied troops onto the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion.
The sudden storm was reportedly so intense that it generated large waves on the lake and placed watercraft in peril. One survivor, a mother who lost all three of her children and her husband in the accident, told reporters that they were shown life jackets when they boarded but told that they would not need them. Apparently none of the passengers nor the two-man crew were wearing life jackets when the Duck suddenly began taking on water and sank.
The Duck Boats are a very popular Branson attraction, and they are common sights on the streets as well as on Table Rock Lake. They provide tourists with a way to move around the small city in relative comfort while enjoying the fresh air and breezes of the Ozark hills - without being stuck in their cars in Branson's infamous snarled traffic. Branson has no mass transit other than a few taxis and hotel shuttles.
While I have been to Branson many times, and even worked there occasionally as a traveling child abuse investigator for the state, I never took the opportunity to ride on the "Ducks." I did ride one in Hot Springs, Arkansas (Bill Clinton's hometown) during the early 1990's - a ride that included downtown Hot Springs, Bathhouse Row, and a large part of Lake Hamilton. Hot Springs had two "Ducks" at that time. A few years later in 1999 one of those Ducks sank in Lake Hamilton, killing thirteen.
Hopefully the current investigation into the tragic accident in Branson will result in recommendations that improve the safety of these popular tourists attractions. (One recommendation that needs to come out of this terrible tragedy: make wearing life jackets mandatory for all passengers and crew.) Midwestern tourist destinations like Branson and Hot Springs have a lot to offer in the way of sightseeing and entertainment for tourists, and the Duck Boats add to that tourist appeal. They will undoubtedly remain a part of the tourist attraction mix, but the unique land-water tours need to be made as safe as possible.
Citizen Journalist
Representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard arrived in the country music Mecca of Branson, Missouri, yesterday to begin an investigation into the watercraft accident on Table Rock Lake that killed seventeen people, including nine members of one family, during a sudden storm that sprang up on Thursday evening. The victims, aged one-year-old to 76-years-old, were passengers on one of Branson's famed "Duck Boats," land and water contrivances which bear similarities to the landing craft that shuttled Allied troops onto the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion.
The sudden storm was reportedly so intense that it generated large waves on the lake and placed watercraft in peril. One survivor, a mother who lost all three of her children and her husband in the accident, told reporters that they were shown life jackets when they boarded but told that they would not need them. Apparently none of the passengers nor the two-man crew were wearing life jackets when the Duck suddenly began taking on water and sank.
The Duck Boats are a very popular Branson attraction, and they are common sights on the streets as well as on Table Rock Lake. They provide tourists with a way to move around the small city in relative comfort while enjoying the fresh air and breezes of the Ozark hills - without being stuck in their cars in Branson's infamous snarled traffic. Branson has no mass transit other than a few taxis and hotel shuttles.
While I have been to Branson many times, and even worked there occasionally as a traveling child abuse investigator for the state, I never took the opportunity to ride on the "Ducks." I did ride one in Hot Springs, Arkansas (Bill Clinton's hometown) during the early 1990's - a ride that included downtown Hot Springs, Bathhouse Row, and a large part of Lake Hamilton. Hot Springs had two "Ducks" at that time. A few years later in 1999 one of those Ducks sank in Lake Hamilton, killing thirteen.
Hopefully the current investigation into the tragic accident in Branson will result in recommendations that improve the safety of these popular tourists attractions. (One recommendation that needs to come out of this terrible tragedy: make wearing life jackets mandatory for all passengers and crew.) Midwestern tourist destinations like Branson and Hot Springs have a lot to offer in the way of sightseeing and entertainment for tourists, and the Duck Boats add to that tourist appeal. They will undoubtedly remain a part of the tourist attraction mix, but the unique land-water tours need to be made as safe as possible.
1 comment:
There was nothing sudden about that storm. It was clearly visible on radar moving in from the Kansas City area.
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