New video shows horrific 'Ride the Ducks' crash
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SEATTLE -- A Seattle motorcyclist who was seriously injured when a duck boat ran over him is now suing, and newly-obtained video of the crash could be a key piece of evidence in the trial.
The video doesn't show the signature music used by Ride the Ducks or the tour guide's narration, but it does show motorcyclist Austin Porter being crushed under the weight of the amphibious vehicle.
Porter remembers the October, 2011 incident well.
"I was at a red light, stopped," he said of the moment just before he was hit. "I was already being run over from the back and then my instincts were just to stay alive at that point."
Porter survived the collision, but his arm, leg and pelvis were all crushed after he became stuck under the undercarriage and dragged into the next block.
Porter is suing, so officials from Ride the Ducks won't comment on the new video. But the video comes the same day the company is facing scrutiny from joggers, pedestrians and residents in Eastlake. The company is considering moving its launch point into Lake Union, and many in the neighborhood are worried about safety.
"So if there's an issue that it possibly hit a motorcycle a year ago, what's to say they're going to see a person with a little West Highland Terrier or a little tiny dog? They're less inclined to see them," said Eastlake resident Jennifer Lovett.
It's unclear if the driver just didn't see Porter on the day of the crash, and the man's attorney refused to comment on the incident. But the other side has long argued that the design of the vehicle and the tour guide's many jobs make for a rocky road through Seattle.
"What they're originally designed for and what they're currently being used for, they're very different things. I just think they're dangerous," Porter said.
Ride the Ducks owner Brian Tracy wouldn't comment on the crash, but said safety is paramount for his company.
"Obviously, safety is the number one concern for the company," he said. "It always has been and it always will be. We go way and above anybody's expectations in training and as well as equipment wise."
Tracy is scheduled to meet with Eastlake residents Thursday night to discuss plans for that new boat launch.
The video doesn't show the signature music used by Ride the Ducks or the tour guide's narration, but it does show motorcyclist Austin Porter being crushed under the weight of the amphibious vehicle.
Porter remembers the October, 2011 incident well.
"I was at a red light, stopped," he said of the moment just before he was hit. "I was already being run over from the back and then my instincts were just to stay alive at that point."
Porter survived the collision, but his arm, leg and pelvis were all crushed after he became stuck under the undercarriage and dragged into the next block.
Porter is suing, so officials from Ride the Ducks won't comment on the new video. But the video comes the same day the company is facing scrutiny from joggers, pedestrians and residents in Eastlake. The company is considering moving its launch point into Lake Union, and many in the neighborhood are worried about safety.
"So if there's an issue that it possibly hit a motorcycle a year ago, what's to say they're going to see a person with a little West Highland Terrier or a little tiny dog? They're less inclined to see them," said Eastlake resident Jennifer Lovett.
It's unclear if the driver just didn't see Porter on the day of the crash, and the man's attorney refused to comment on the incident. But the other side has long argued that the design of the vehicle and the tour guide's many jobs make for a rocky road through Seattle.
"What they're originally designed for and what they're currently being used for, they're very different things. I just think they're dangerous," Porter said.
Ride the Ducks owner Brian Tracy wouldn't comment on the crash, but said safety is paramount for his company.
"Obviously, safety is the number one concern for the company," he said. "It always has been and it always will be. We go way and above anybody's expectations in training and as well as equipment wise."
Tracy is scheduled to meet with Eastlake residents Thursday night to discuss plans for that new boat launch.
I hope that at the very least the Duck folks get a separate driver to the tour guide on board. Â The driver should be driving only, just as we don't allow cellphones and such.
yes the ducks driver should have waited to see the bike take off, but why did the motorcycle sit there when the rest of the traffic was going when the light turned green. after watching the video a few times I noticed a pedestrian was talking to the motorcyclist, must be why he didn't see the light turn green
If there was ever a vehicle with bad blinds spot the Duck Boat is it. Guess the designers in WW2 had other things on their minds or running over enemy soldiers wasn't a concern.
My husband and I were hit by the stupid Duck while stopped at a red light. The guy then ran off and we had to call SPD to get them to stop. Even then, the guy was completely unapologetic and didn't care to even ask how we were. Definitely NOT a fan of Ride the Ducks!
Went on Ride the Ducks a few months ago with my wife,  was fun and exciting until the Driver started acting like a crazy man.  Jumping around and screaming while not keeping an eye on the road.  Had several near misses.  All caught on my camera.  Got one gem with the driver wearing a court jester's hat, eyes off the road looking back at us all while dancing....no eyes on the road then sails straight through a red light.  ON CAMERA.  not once but TWICE!!.  When things are this bad something needs to be done.  I hope this guy on the motorcycle makes a decent recovery.  Quality of life is going to be hard years down the track all because of some fool.
Everyday those drivers have to watch each blindspot, present a tour, float through the city while entertaining our visitors of our city. Simply providing a guide to each bus would eliminate a lot of problems. It seems silly that the driver has to entertain the masses when we have cell phone laws in place for distracted drivers.
The Ducks are an embarrassment to Seattle and a tourist trap. Hopefully they get sued out of business.
I live in an apartment facing 1st ave and the art museum and if I have to hear those stupid duck busses anymore I swear.... "Standing at forty-eight feet tall, weighing in at twenty six thouuuuuuuusand pounds, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's hammering man!!!! WOO!!" while MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" blasts from the darn thing. Starting in the spring through half way through fall, every 10 minues starting at around 9am and lasting until 8pm.... I despise nothing more than Ride the Ducks.
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I hope this man drains them of every penny.
exactly. obnoxious as hell. very good description! you have my sympathies....
I ride motorcycles downtown, and have to assume the Duck doesn't see me. The drivers should be driving ONLY, they should have a tourguide talking to the passengers.  And they need cameras to solve the problems of the blind spots.
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There is no excuse for rear-ending someone stopped at a light or stop sign.  This is worthy of a lawsuit, and the only way to get the company to change, and to get anywhere near meaningful compensation for that level of life changing injury.
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glad the guy wasn't killed.
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that silly tourist trap is an abomination - i always feel sad for the folks on that tour - really couldn't figure out something better to do? and the annoying music....
Of course he is suing. It's a business that hit him. The real American dream came true for him. If it were just an ordinary citizen that hit him he would have just settled for the insurance pay out. In fact if it were just another run of the mill accident this wouldn't even be in the news. Serves him right for riding a motorcycle anyway. Of all things that should be banned it's motorcycles. They are way too dangerous for other drivers because they are just too hard to see sometimes. Wait. He should also sue the city for making the road he was on when the accident occurred and the manufacturer of the traffic light as well and triple his money.
@barlion I guess we have anthor POS troll here. You are a complete jerk for your comments. Now hide behind your keyboard mommies little troll.......
@Barlion Troll much?
Sue them out of existence
Safety is NOT #1, Money is and they should have to pay extra penalties for lying.
what was the make of the bike?
My daughter and son in law was hit by "The Duck" last year ,right before this accident! Luckily their truck only sustained moderate damage to the tail of their little truck. (not that the owner of "The Duck" tried that hard to contact them)This has to stop before someone is killed! No driver should be a tour guide at the same time!
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amphibious vehicle or not, every bus driver should shut the eff up and concentrate on the road...Â
 @CIAassassin I drive a school bus. I'd like to concentrate on driving more, but the little screamers in the back always distract me, and their parents think they're angels.Â
Most "accidents" stem from some sort of negligence on someone's part.Â
I will not waste my time to sit through a commercial in order to watch a video.
 @Rick4001CS What tics me off is when the video (which I do not want to warch) starts AFTER I am half way down the page...
 @Rick4001CS AdBlock works wonders (I use chrome).  It blocks all on website advertisements AND all of the advertisements that show up at the beginning of videos, like youtube, etc.  It makes my web browsing experience 10x better (and faster!).
 @Rick4001CS And you can also get AdBlock in Chrome.Â
 @Rick4001CS I'm not seeing an ad. AdBlock in Firefox.
That's really sad. Â The Ride the Ducks is a lot of fun, my family just went on it a couple months ago (even though we are washington natives). Â
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Being a motorcyclists myself I know the dangers of being at a stop light, that's why the MSF/BRC (motorcycle safety foundation's basic riding course) teaches you to always leave your motorcycle in gear and your hand ready on the throttle while watching your mirror until you get a green light. Â
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Unfortunately, it seems the Ride the Ducks was very much at fault in this case. Â It's just bad all around.
I'm not sure if anyone knows this but these vehicles were the old WW2 landing craft used to land the Marines in Normandy and Omaha beach. Hundreds of Marines lost their lives riding these things, blown apart by enemy gunfire when the front gate dropped, like in saving Private Ryan. My father was one of the drivers; dropping them off only to go back and get more knowing what he was bring them to. I'm not sure how I feel about having them turned into a circus ride. I think the the guy should sue and get lots of money.  Â
 @Paul Turcott Sorry Paul, you're wrong. The Duck Boat is not a LCVP, which was the primary landing craft of United States, and the landing crafts shown in Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, and countless other movies. The Duck Boats front end absolutely do not open up as a ramp, and they saw almost no combat duty in World War II, like the LCVP, or Higgins Boats were.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgins_Boat
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Most of the Higgin's Boats were manned in World War II by US Coast Guard personnel, a little known tid bit of WWII history. 574 Coasties lost their lives directly from enemy fire, another 1,300 died from secondary causes (drowning, etc. etc.).
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The "Duck" boat gets it's name from its military designation, DUKW. D = 1942, U = utility, K = powered front axles W = two rear axles. I know, boring. The primary purpose of the DUKW was ferrying supplies and carrying wounded back off the beaches. They are the first vehicle in the world that enabled the driver to change tire pressures dynamically. So for hard surfaces like roads, the tire pressure could be increased, allowing the straight 6 Chevrolet engine to move the DUKW at speeds up to 50 MPH. The pressure could be dropped for driving in the sand, providing a larger contact patch, and more traction. This feature is just about standard in all pneumatic tire military vehicles today.
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If you're father drove a DUKW and into combat, he was a rare bird. I suspect you're getting the DUKW and the LCVP mixed up.
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@Paul Turcott - sounds like the thing has bad joo-joo on it. I wouldn't want to ride something like that at all.
I would sue also.Â
It looks like the front of the Duck is very long and high up. That makes for a serious blind spot for the driver. If the driver is goofing around while driving, it is very easy to forget what is down in that blind spot. A school bus has a big mirror angled down to show what is in front of the bus so they don't drive over a kid in that spot. Â
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The average SUV has sensors on the bumper to help with backing up, why not something similar for the front of a Duck?
I don't think you can blame the duck vehicle, it's the duck drivers fault. Have you ever seen the drivers of those things? They look like they were homeless street buskers at one time, and usually they are singing and talking and looking and pointing; a very bad combination. I've actually seen them doing the YMCA dance from behind the wheels. I would sure for sure if they ran me over.Â
Just another guy looking for a big cash payday from a company with deep pockets. I'm sorry he was hurt but it was an accident.
 @ferryguy So, people who get horribly maimed and have their lives changed forever-and very likely their income earning potential diminished greatly if not eliminated entirely, should just suck it up or go die?
 @two loons  @ferryguy It's that conservative "death panel" mentality, don't you know?
@ferryguy This was not an accident, but negligence! Look up how many accidents "The Duck" has had in Seattle!Â
@CiarraiBleu Definately negligence. This wasn't a bump and stop, he drug the rider through the intersection and kept going.
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And shame on all the folks at the cross walk who did nothing.....
@ferryguy The motorcylist isn't some dope who spilled hot coffee on his crotch, and this isn't an "oops, my bad"-grade fender bender. After a crushed leg and pelvis he's probably never going to walk quite right again. If anyone ever had a good reason to sue, it's this guy.
 @nodozr  @ferryguy I think you might want to watch the "hot coffee" documentary on netflix or just the trailer (google for the website) to see people's reactions to photos of that 80 year old (passenger)'s burns before you use that as your example. McDonalds did a media smear campaign to cover up how she had skin grafts and was near death due to the coffee spill.
@Joe @ferryguy Fair enough.
 @Joe  @nodozr  @ferryguy I have seen that video. She deserved compensation. Don't believe me- go find that video.
I'll never understand it because I can't imagine I'd ever react the same in that scenario.Â
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WHY do people just keep walking down the street la de da, like someone wasn't just run over and lying in the street?????????? Â Come on Seattle! Â
 @seattleways Happens everywhere. Look up "China girl run over" on YouTube
 @seattleways I wondered the same thing and then I realized, oh heck, that isn't Seattle, that's whatever's been taking over what used to a very beautiful "Emerald City" with good people in a city unlike any other. Â
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Maybe that's Seattle NOW - they really should change the name.
@seattleways because it's Seattle.....Moron!
@PooshWoosh Hey, now - we can do without the name calling, you idiot!