Admiralty Lawsuit Lawyer

Duck Tours

During World War II, the Germans and the Americans developed amphibious vehicles to carry troops and supplies on the streets and through the rivers without the use of a bridge. Once the war was over, a bright individual in Boston decided that clearly the thing to do would be to convert the DUK-W into a tourist attraction. This gave rise to the first Duck Tours.

Duck tours, or DUKW tours, are tours that take place on specially built amphibious tour buses or military surplus DUKWs and LARC-Vs. These tours are primarily offered as tourist attractions in harbor, river, and lake cities like Washington DC, Boston, Miami, and Seattle.

The tours, whether they are using actual DUKWs or modern amphibious tour buses, are almost always fun and light-hearted. The drivers and tour guides frequently wear ridiculous hats or costumes and the PA systems are frequently equipped with humorous sound effects.

The DUKWs that are used have almost all been repainted and now have modern diesel engines and closed tops. This makes them look more like conventional buses. To operate these vehicles, a company must have a bus-type Public Service Vehicle license as well as a passenger-use boat license.

In 1999, a DUKW sank in Hot Springs, Arkansas killing 13 of the 20 people onboard. Following this accident, the United States Coast Guard has attempted to improve the overall safety regulations. In June of 2002, a cruise on the Ottawa River in Ontario ended with the sinking of the amphibious vehicle. Four of the passengers drowned when they were trapped under the canopy of the vehicle. The amphibious vehicle in this case was a converted F-350 truck. An investigation revealed problems with regulating such vehicles, defects in the design, and flawed emergency procedures.

Contact an Admiralty Lawyer

If you have been injured in an amphibious vehicle accident, contact the admiralty lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss your situation and to schedule a consultation.