Missouri legislator pledges to strengthen safety features on ducks



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A Missouri senator swore on Monday to boost safety standards for amphibious canoes after Thursday's fatal crash that killed 17 people and injured several others

Republican Senator David Sater said at the Associated Press that he was waiting for the results of the federal inquiry. accident investigation, but promised that "this issue will not be abandoned."

Sater's promise came the same day the crews retrieved the Ride the Ducks boat from 80 feet of lake water near the tourist town of Branson. 19659004] While the ship broke the surface in mid-morning Monday, two small American flags remained on the front. The unused orange life jackets hung from the boat's frame as a haunting reminder of the series of events that occurred five days ago.

After taking the duck out of the water, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board took possession of it.

It is not known exactly how long the investigation will take, but similar investigations lasted up to a year.

Kelly and Bob Ivers, who visit friends in Hollister, Missouri, were part of a handful of residents. Tourists who watched a crane tied to a barge pull the broken boat off the lake.

"I wanted to go to Ducks' office, but I could not bring myself to go beyond it," Kelly Ivers told Fox News. "So here we are instead, we prayed for the victims and for the captain, and he will have to live with it all his life."

The wrecked duck on Table Rock Lake had 31 people aboard.

amphibious ship overturned during a rapid summer storm that caused bursts near a hurricane.

A mobile phone video of a witness showed that the duck was taking over. Water and struggled to move before sinking, making it one of the deadliest canoe crashes in US history Sadowicz of the St. Louis agency said the boat sank was known as "Stretch Duck 07." Like all ducks on duty in Branson, it was subject to annual inspections.

The Coast Guard stated that the sunken Branson duck was built in 1944 and had an inspection in February.

But Sadowicz ad it The Coast Guard's "inspection certificate" imposed limits when boats could enter the water depending on the speed of the wind and the "state of the sea" [19659003] Sadowicz did not know the limits of the Stretch Duck 07 Sadowicz said the investigators also want to know if the operators are adequately monitoring the weather and they should have reasonably known that a storm was approaching.

Witnesses told Fox News that the weather was a focal point of the investigation. It seemed calm before a storm suddenly caused strong waves and spray.

But nearly eight hours earlier, the National Weather Service had issued a strong storm warning in the counties of western and central Missouri.

A violent thunderstorm warning that went out at 6:32 pm. specifically mentioned Rock Lake Table. The first emergency calls on the accident occurred just after 7 pm

KOLR-TV meteorologist Elisa Raffa in Springfield said Saturday in a telephone interview that his station was planning the threat of "fire." severe weather all morning

. Scott Stoermer said the investigation will also consider whether the boat captain has followed the company's guidelines regarding the use of lifejackets.

The Missouri law requires passengers 7 years old and younger to wear life jackets. 19659003] The law requires enough lifejackets for passengers and crew, and jackets that are suitable for all children. According to Tommy Stoermer, the captain told reporters aboard his hospital bed that the captain of the boat had told the riders that they would not need a lifejacket. When the ship began to take water, Coleman said "it was too late."

"I think a lot of people could have been spared," said Coleman, who lost 9 of his family on the duck.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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