(Missourinet) – A woman who lost nine relatives when a Duck Boat sank last month on Table Rock Lake near Branson is spearheading an effort to have the vehicles banned.
Tia Coleman and her 13-year old nephew were the only two family members to survives the mishap that killed a total of 17 people. She held a news conference in the living room of her home in Indianapolis Tuesday to announce an effort through change.org to drum up support to ban the amphibious vehicles.
Coleman and her family were in Branson for an annual family vacation when the Duck Boat they were on sank after taking on four-foot swells during hurricane force winds. Her husband and three children lost their lives in the tragedy. Coleman’s petition on change.org also urges support of a bill in Congress sponsored by Missouri’s Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill.
The measure would require the Duck Boat industry to implement safety measures recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board after a similar 1999 Duck Boat accident killed 13 people in Arkansas. A playpen with toys inside was present when Coleman spoke to the news media. Her three kids who died in the Branson tragedy were nine, seven and one-year-old.
