x
Breaking News
More () »

Survivor: Duck boat captain said life jackets not needed

Coleman says the captain of the boat told passengers, "Don't worry about grabbing the life jackets — you won't need them.
Credit: Linder Bob/News-Leader
In this 2000 photo, amphibious tour buses, called duck boats, cruise Table Rock Lake during Ride The Duck tours.

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — A survivor of the tourist boat accident that killed 17 people, including nine of her relatives, says the captain of the boat told passengers not to bother grabbing life jackets.

Tia Coleman told WXIN-TV in Indianapolis that she and a nephew were among 11 relatives on a duck boat Thursday night on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. Coleman says she lost "all my children" but she did not say how many.

Coleman says the captain of the boat told passengers, "Don't worry about grabbing the life jackets — you won't need them."

She says by the time it was clear life jackets were needed, "it was too late."

An email seeking comment from a spokeswoman for Ripley Entertainment, which owns the Ride the Ducks boat, was not immediately returned.

Before You Leave, Check This Out