On this day in 2015: Ride the Ducks crash on Aurora Bridge kills 5, injures 69

Exactly nine years ago, on September 24, 2015, a Ride the Ducks amphibious tour vehicle experienced a mechanical failure.

It crossed into oncoming traffic on Seattle’s Aurora Bridge, leading to a fatal collision with a charter bus carrying foreign exchange students.

The crash left five passengers dead and dozens more injured.

Investigations later revealed that the accident was caused by a known but uncorrected defect in the Duck vehicle’s steering mechanism, which had been identified but not fixed by the vehicle’s operator.

The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. when a northbound Duck 6 vehicle veered out of control and crossed the center line on the notoriously narrow Aurora Bridge.

It collided head-on with a southbound charter bus carrying 48 North Seattle Community College students and staff.

Four passengers died on impact, while a fifth succumbed to injuries three days later in the hospital.

In addition to the fatalities, numerous other passengers from both vehicles suffered severe injuries.

The violent crash also involved three additional vehicles, further adding to the chaos.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that the crash was due to a mechanical failure in the Duck’s left front axle, which had sheared off during the vehicle’s journey across the bridge.

The defect was linked to poor welding and inadequate maintenance by Ride the Ducks of Seattle, which had not completed a critical repair recommended by Ride the Ducks International, the vehicle manufacturer.

The Aurora Bridge’s narrow lanes, already a safety concern with its history of crashes, compounded the accident’s severity.

The impact tore through the side of the charter bus, killing passengers seated on the left side of the vehicle.

Emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene, but the scale of the disaster overwhelmed the bridge.

In the aftermath, Ride the Ducks of Seattle faced extensive legal consequences.

The company settled multiple lawsuits and eventually paid over $140 million to victims and their families.

The crash also led to a reassessment of safety protocols for amphibious vehicles and intensified industry scrutiny.

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