BRANSON MO NEWS: KANSAS CITY, MO — The Indianapolis woman who lost nine relatives, including her three children and husband, in the July 19 Branson, Missouri Duck Boat tragedy filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against six companies in the duck boat industry. Seventeen people died in July when the Ripley Entertainment boat sank on Table Rock Lake in Branson, including Tia Coleman’s husband, children and five other relatives. According to court documents, Coleman is requesting $300 million in financial damages, in addition to the end of Duck Boat manufacturing and operation until all design errors are corrected, and the boats are redesigned for safety. Ripley Entertainment Inc., Ride the Ducks International, Ride the Ducks of Branson, the Herschend Family Entertainment Corp. and Amphibious Vehicle Manufacturing are named in Coleman’s lawsuit. This most recent lawsuit follows one that was filed July 29 in U.S. District Court in Kansas City that’s seeking $100 million in damages on behalf of two of the nine members of the Coleman family who died in the accident. A second lawsuit was also filed on behalf of the estates of Angela Coleman, 45, and Belinda Coleman, 69. RELATED: According to court documents filed Tuesday, Ripley Entertainment hired an inspector in August 2017 to check the boats before purchasing the Branson duck boat operations. The inspector found the design of the boats, originally built in 1944, put them at risk of sinking, court documents reported. Documents claim that according to the inspector, water could get into the exhaust system and motor in the event of rough water conditions. However, the lawsuit alleges that despite being made aware of the issues, Ripley decided to take the duck boat out on the lake July 19 instead of cancelling the tour and refunding patrons. Court documents add that “prior to this catastrophe, the Duck Boat industry knew that their Duck Boats were entirely …
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