OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — It’s unlikely that Seattle’s Ride the Ducks tour vehicles will be back on the streets before next year. That’s the word from state regulators.
Ride the Ducks was shut down after one of its amphibious vehicles collided with a tour bus on the Aurora Bridge on Sept. 24. The crash killed five North Seattle College students.
According to a Seattle Times story, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission said during a hearing Tuesday that the final report on the company’s safety practices won’t be delivered until mid-December, followed by an expected hearing.
The end-of-year holidays means a hearing on the suspension of the company’s operations wouldn’t likely be held before January.
The commission is investigating the crash and has alleged that the company broke federal safety laws and state rules.
They claimed that at least one of the vehicles operated in an unsafe manner.
A lawyer for the company had hoped that some of the smaller Duck vehicles could return to service this month.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the crash. (end)