http://www.ky3.com/content/news/Emergency-crews-work-incident-involving-amphibious-boat-on-Table-Rock-Lake-488679201.html
NEAR BRANSON, Mo. -- The Stone County Sheriff confirms fatalities involved in a duck boat capsizing on Table Rock Lake Thursday.

Emergency crews responded to the incident shortly after 7 p.m. after a severe line of thunderstorms rolled through the area.

Sheriff Doug Rader reports the boat had 31 people on board. He tells KY3 News four of those have been transported to a hospital. Some of the 31 on board include children. We do not know how many deaths happened in the capsizing. Divers are on the scene searching for any possible victims.

Sad. I've ridden those many times.

I just saw that on the news. That doesn't sound good if only four have been taken to the hospital. Hopefully there are numerous others that refused treatment.

Came to post this. Sad, sad news.

11 confirmed dead.

Video: https://www.news-leader.com/videos/news/local/ozarks/2018/07/20/eyewitness-video-branson-duck-boat-capsizes-table-rock-lake/805205002/

Damn.  That's terrible.

I think there are still 5 who are unaccounted for.

What area do those run on?  I'm not sure I've ever seen one in the water.  I don't go over by the dam much though.  The wind storm that came through yesterday was no joke, there's no way I'd want to be anywhere near the lake when it hit.

There's a Facebook video floating around, taken right before it capsizes. Seemed to be riding very low in the water with big waves.   Anyone know if it flipped over side to side? Or just nosed oved, trapping everyone under the roof/awning?  The video of the duck seemed to be a little nose heavy.

The windows appeared to be up on both of the ducks. They enter the water by State Park Marina iirc. After seeing the lack of freeboard in just the afternoon speedboat chop a person would be nuts to ever get on one in open water. A true death trap. Killed 17 out of 31. A miracle anyone survived.

Right next to the Branson Bell.

Here's a few pics I took (a couple different years);

Inside, before pulling away, showing where the PFDs are stowed.
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Out on the water, showing another Duck near the Branson Belle.
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A few years later, just after entering the water. They closed the side windows for splashdown into the lake, then raised them. It shows how close the ramp is to where the Branson Belle docks.
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They were closed. Maybe you meant that by "up", but they roll down from above, so up would be open.

http://www.ky3.com/content/news/CAUGHT-ON-CAMERA-Viewer-captures-Ride-the-Ducks--488687431.html

Jesus...just watched that video..... @67Firebird  Is it pretty easy for those to be lifted up to open them?  I'm guessing when it went down, no time, but no idea...never did do one of those rides.

I heard that a off duty deputy on that boat (where video was taken) jumped in to try to save some of them, but I'm not sure if he did or not.  The waves in that water, I don't see how he could have.  God, that was fucked up....do they have radio's on those things to call into base or to let somebody know they are taking on water...etc?  It looked to be sitting in the water lower than that first one that pasted.  Heard about all the lives lost and I'm guessing those windows were in the down position and they all had on their life vest and couldn't get out then.

About the weather....people were saying "why" did they go out in weather like that...but there is no way it was doing that shit when they got into the water...didn't this just blow in on them?  I guess now, they will have to call back to base and ask if there are in storms in the area.  Prayers for those families.

This is exactly why a life jacket in a closed environment is a bad idea.  It's the same reason you DONT inflate your life vest IN the airplane (incase of ditching), as it will pin you to the roof, get you tangled in anything on the roof, and deminish your ability to swim...

I honestly don't know. I never tried to lift one, and I don't recall what they said during the safety speech they give before starting the ride.

Just watched the video

https://www.wsj.com/articles/woman-who-lost-nine-relatives-in-boating-accident-struggles-with-why-she-survived-1532214034

By Joe Barrett
July 21, 2018 7:00 p.m. ET
122 COMMENTS

Tia Coleman said she can’t understand how she and a teenage nephew survived the sinking of an amphibious tour boat in a sudden violent storm on Thursday while nine other members of her family died.

“I don’t have the capacity to understand it,” she said in a televised press conference Saturday as she continued to recover in a hospital in Branson, Mo., near the site of the accident on Table Rock Lake in the Ozark Mountains. “God must have a reason.”

Of all the difficulties she faced in the past few days, going home to an empty house may be the worst.

“Ever since I’ve had a home it’s been filled with the sound of little feet and laughter,” she said.

Ms. Coleman, who lost her husband and three children—ages 9 to 1—along with other members of her husband’s family, said she was being treated for the effects of swallowing large amounts of water.

Thursday’s accident, which took the lives of 17 people altogether, began with a threat of a storm, she said. The tour operator told the crew to complete the water part of the land and water tour first to get off the water ahead of the storm.
A video shows second Missouri tour boat fighting through storm. Credit: Paul Lemus via Storyful

The chief executive of Ripley Entertainment, the owner of the Ride the Ducks Branson boat, has said in media interviews that going into the water was a mistake under the circumstances, while also noting the water was calm when the boat entered the water.

The company didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Ms. Coleman also said the lake was tranquil at the start of the cruise, but as the boat tried to return to land, large waves began washing over the bow.

“It was hot,” she said. “ So at first we were like this is nice.”

Then a large wave came over the bow and a second wave plunged Ms. Coleman, who was sitting in the front of the boat with her children, under water.

She said she hit her head on what she thinks is the top of the boat and thought she would die, but somehow skidded against the surface and became free. The water was “icy cold,” she said, so she knew she was deep in the lake.

So she began kicking, but was torn because she didn’t know where her children were. “If they don’t make it, Lord,” she thought, “then take me too, because there’s no reason for me to be here.”

She said she briefly began to drift but then realized the water was getting warm, so she  struggled to the surface. Large waves hit her face, but she could see that people were jumping into the water from a nearby riverboat, the Branson Belle.

“They were jumping in the water to save us,” she said. She yelled for help, but no one heard. Eventually she made it to the side of the boat, where she was pulled to safety.

“I believe I survived by God and good Samaritans,” she said.

Ms. Coleman said the captain had pointed to life vests above the seats before the boat entered the water, but said they wouldn’t be needed, so no one took one. She believes that if she had put them on her children they would have floated to the surface and survived.

She spoke fondly of her loved ones who died, remembering a big meal they had at a restaurant the night before and all the fun they’d had swimming at the hotel pool.

She said her husband, Glenn, 40, was a loving man and a good father; her son Reese was 9 and on the autism spectrum but made every day worth living; her son Evan, 7, was a good brother who was smart and quick-witted; her 1-year-old daughter Arya, was “a little fireball.”

She said she was also very close to her sister-in-law, Angela Coleman, 45; her father-in-law, Horace Coleman, 70, her mother-in-law, Belinda Coleman, 69, and her husband’s uncle, Ervin Coleman, 76 and her 2-year-old nephew,  Maxwell Coleman.

“I want to remember my family as the beautiful people they are,” she said.

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I'm not sure you can hold DBB accountable for this....accidents happen, there were boats on the water (you saw that small boat in the video....2 other duck boats, besides the one that went down.

Sometimes accidents happen and you can't solve them by suing....but you know its coming.  For that poor lady....God, she is going to be a mess.  She is going to re-live that trip every day of her life.

I can't believe they didn't tell them to grab lifejackets when shit started hitting the fan.

How does a person give an interview the day after they lost 9 members of their family?? How would she even be able to speak?

Someone also pointed out in the GD thread that if they put the life jackets on and didnt bail before it sank they'd be trapped against the top and unable to get out once it sank.  But honestly who was stopping them from putting vests on??  Was the captain going to come back there and smack your hand if you stood up to get one?

I know we weren’t there, but I was wondering the same thing. The video looks like it was going down slowly, I’m curious how close does the edge of the boat get to the water (rough water at that) before people start grabbing jackets and take matters in to their own hands. I hate that it happened, and I feel for their families and friends, but puzzled as to why not one person had the awareness to realize it was sinking. I could be missing something, I don’t have all the facts.