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BRANSON, MO – The Coleman family initially thought of going on vacation to Florida for their annual trip, but the trip was too long for some elderly parents. They settled in Branson, a town in southwestern Missouri about seven hours drive from their hometown of Indianapolis. They rented a van and on Tuesday the family of 11 people from three generations of Colemans took the road for their last vacation together.
The trip to this small resort town became fatal two days later, after amphibious vehicles for what should have been a 70-minute guided tour around the Ozarks. The boat battled turbulent waves on Table Rock Lake, a normally placid body of water churned by a violent storm. The vehicle took water, capsized and sank, settling on the bottom, taking 17 lives with it
out of these 17 victims, nine were members of the Coleman family, the youngest of a girl of one year. Tia Coleman and her 13-year-old nephew, Donovan, survived only two members of the Coleman group on the boat.
Tia Coleman's husband and all three of his children are dead.
"You do not know how many times I hoped that they would have gone to Florida," said Carolyn Coleman, whose husband, Gary, lost two brothers, nieces, and nephews in the US. ;accident.
On Friday night, Carolyn, who lives in Georgia, said she called Tia she was recovering at a Branson hospital. Tia's voice was calm on the phone, and Carolyn assumed that she was probably still in shock, as if the weight of her loss had not yet made any victims.
Lying in a hospital bed, Tia Coleman told reporters, "The last thing I heard my sister-in-law screaming was:" Catch the baby! " said Coleman. His sister-in-law died too
There were lifejackets on the boat, but Coleman said the captain had told them that they did not need to use them.
"We are told to sit and everyone sit down," she said. "Nobody, nobody – when this boat is found, all these lifejackets are going to be there."
In total, 14 people survived – less than half of the passengers and crew of the boat – Thursday night. The tragedy was a sudden departure from what had been, for many, a beautiful summer day in the Midwestern retreat. Dark clouds, strong winds and heavy rain had suddenly turned a routine disaster tour for 29 passengers and two crew members
"When tourists come to Branson, they are our family and we We want to take care of our family. "Branson is a city of smiles," said city spokeswoman Melody Pettit Friday afternoon as she was leaving Branson City Hall, where employees cleaned leftover food and water for the victims. "At this moment, we are in pain and we are not smiling."
Santino Tomasetti arrived at the Branson Belle Showboat, a riverboat restaurant not far from where the boat sank, at the moment first aid was pulling people out of the water. Those who reached the shore shivered, in shock, dried up – and Tomasetti hurried to get dry clothes and chairs for the paramedics to examine. It was then, he said, that reality began to hit them.
"There were a lot of people who just, the second they had a minute to calm down, they were crying, they were starting to panic," said Tomasetti, pointing out that he wanted to help in any way whatsoever .
On Friday night, hundreds of community members and tourists lit candles, prayed and sang for the victims and their families. Ride the Ducks Branson's office, the company that owned and operated the boat. Tomasetti stood in front of the crowd in the embrace of his loved ones, all in tears. Outside the office were the cars that the victims had left before boarding the boat. Josh Daniel, who lives nearby, placed a flower on each car earlier in the day
"It broke all of us," he said.
Later, the cars were covered with flowers, cubs, balloons and handwritten signs. Daniel Scott took a knee placing a hand against the door on the left side of a white SUV and prayed for the family who lost nine of its members, including a one year old girl.
Soon, the crowd burst into song amid sniffles and sobs: "Amazing Grace," "How Great Thou Art" and "It's good with my soul."
At Rock Lane Resort and Marina, a rowdy crowd and a group playing country music in a tiki bar suddenly became quiet as people began to gather at a hasty memorial that included candles, roses and teddy bears. Two young men were sitting in front, lighting tiny red candles. None of them knew the victims, but they said that they felt compelled to join, both to say prayers and to show gratitude
"If this is not enough, was not for them, we would not have a city ". which is under construction and often works in vacation homes in Branson. Lyons says that he owes his livelihood to people like those who were on the Thursday duck – millions of tourists who come to Branson every year and who fuel the city's economy.
"They could have gone elsewhere in the world, but they came here," said the other young man, Stephen Noe.
Branson, near the border of Arkansas with a population of 10,500, welcomes about 8 million tourists each year, among its popular attractions are ducks, Ride the Ducks has been in Branson for over four decades.
Questions remain about why the boat was in water, despite the predictions and warning of a potentially violent storm. Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley Entertainment, parent company of Ride the Ducks, said that the storm has suddenly arrived and Surprised the crew, but the National Weather Service before noon had predicted the possibility of heavy storms and high winds Thursday late afternoon, the boat sank around 7 am
" Why does this boat even faded away? When you're on vacation and touring, you expect those who run these facilities to be alert to weather conditions and anything that could harm anyone in the area, "said Carolyn Coleman . "Bob" Williams, 73, is among the dead.
The deceased passengers came from four states. William Asher, 69 years old; Rosemarie Hamann, 68 years old; Janice Bright, 63; and William Bright, 65, were from Missouri. Two – Steve Smith, 53; and Lance Smith, 15, was originally from Arkansas. One, Leslie Dennison, 64, was originally from Illinois. Nine came from Indiana, all from the Coleman family: Angela 45; Belinda, 69 years old; Ervin, 76; Glenn, 40; Horace, 70; Reece, 9; Eva, 7 years old; Maxwell, 2; and Arya, 1.
Capture images of the lake showed that the boat was swaying and swaying in incessant waves, while gusts of wind were blowing at 65 mph. Shortly after, the small flat-bottomed half-bus and half-boat sank, dipping to 80 feet at the bottom of the lake. Another duck boat was on the lake on Thursday and went to shore.
David Plummer, associate pastor at Noble Hill Baptist Church, said that while he was looking at these images online, he believed that the driver was continuing to steer the boat even the water there. swallowed.
"Lord help him," Plummer recalls thinking. "He had no chance, I looked at him.This man gave his life."
Carolyn Coleman said that she and her husband intend to make a trip to Indiana for funerals after the bodies were released.
"He is trying to hang on" husband. "I'm just trying to support my husband and support him with what we have to endure.That's a lot."
Mark Berman and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux in Washington contributed to this report.
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