Jury Awards Duck Boat Crash Survivor $4 Million In Damages

SEATTLE (AP) — A jury has awarded $4 million in damages to a Montana woman for physical and emotional injuries she suffered after being ejected from a duck boat tour vehicle in a crash that killed five college students and injured dozens nearly four years ago.

The verdict is believed to be the resolution of the final lawsuit after years of litigation involving many of the injured and the families of those killed.

The jury Monday in Seattle found the vehicle's manufacturer, Ride the Ducks International of Missouri, and its operator, Ride the Ducks Seattle, liable for the crash. The vehicle's axle snapped, causing it to crash into an oncoming college tour bus in September 2015.

Jurors assigned 60% of the liability to Ride the Ducks International, with the remaining 40% to the Seattle Ducks, while blaming both for the mechanical problems that led the Duck to lose control.

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