State alleges Duck vehicle in Seattle crash was operated in unsafe manner

SEATTLE _ Washington state regulators have filed a formal complaint against Ride the Ducks that accuses the company of operating at least one of its vehicles in an unsafe manner, causing five deaths and dozens of injuries in last week’s crash on the Aurora Bridge.tmpplchld In its complaint, filed late Tuesday, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, which regulates commercial passenger carriers statewide, alleges the Seattle excursion firm violated various federal safety laws and state rules.tmpplchld “While the cause of the accident has not been identified, any number of factors may have contributed to it, including the company’s maintenance of its vehicles, driver safety or other operational issues,” the UTC’s complaint states. “Until staff conducts a comprehensive investigation of the company’s safety practices, the scope of potential safety issues cannot be established.”tmpplchld The UTC’s complaint will be presented to commissioners during a hearing set for Thursday in Olympia. Commissioners are then expected to schedule an evidentiary hearing, during which UTC will present the findings of its investigation and make recommendations for action, a UTC spokeswoman said.tmpplchld Legal representatives from Ride the Ducks are expected to attend Thursday’s hearing, the spokeswoman said.tmpplchld The UTC’s complaint noted that “an area of concern” in the agency’s investigation of the crash involving Duck No. 6 is “a potentially dangerous failure point in the axle housing of (Ride the Ducks) tour vehicles.”tmpplchld Ride the Ducks International, an Atlanta-based firm that refurbished and sold Duck No. 6 to the independently operated Seattle company in 2005, has said it issued a service bulletin recommending a safety repair with the front axle housing assembly for 57 Ducks, including the vehicle involved in the wreck in Seattle.tmpplchld “According to a statement issued by the NTSB to The Seattle Times, the vehicle involved in the Sept. 24 accident was not repaired,” the UTC’s complaint states.tmpplchld The complaint added that UTC staff, which is conducting a comprehensive investigation of Ride the Ducks of Seattle, will seek to determine “whether the company received the service bulletin issued by Ride the Ducks International advising it of issues with the axle housing, and what steps the company took, if any, to remedy the defect in its vehicles.”tmpplchld Brian Tracey, the company owner, previously said he also is trying to determine what happened and is cooperating with investigators.tmpplchld Witnesses to the accident said the Duck appeared to have a mechanical problem with its left front wheel before swerving, crossing the narrow bridge’s centerline and careening into a charter bus owned by Bellair Charters & Airporter. Five North Seattle College students were killed and dozens more people were injured.tmpplchld A former mechanic for Ride the Ducks _ who inspected the axle in the months after the Atlanta company has stated it issued the October 2013 service bulletin _ told The Seattle Times on Tuesday he “never heard anything about” such a safety advisory while he worked for the Seattle company.tmpplchld tmpplchld Dominick Anderson, the former mechanic, was among at least three company mechanics who inspected the axle during required yearly vehicle examinations after the service bulletin was said to be issued. Annual inspection reports for Duck No. 6 for 2013 and 2014 show no need for corrective actions on the vehicle’s front axle.tmpplchld The UTC, which issues certificates of operation for passenger charter carriers, has the authority “to cancel, revoke or suspend” such licenses based on safety and other violations, according to state law.tmpplchld Earlier this week, the commission issued an emergency order suspending Ride the Ducks operations pending a full investigation of the Seattle company by UTC staff, including an inspection of each of at least 20 vehicles in the fleet.tmpplchld Nine patients remained hospitalized Wednesday morning at Harborview Medical Center, all in satisfactory condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. One other patient was in satisfactory condition at UW Medical Center.tmpplchld tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Seattle Timestmpplchld Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld