Duck Boat Crash Injuries
Cambridge Duck Boat Overturns After Tow Rope Snaps, Injuring Six Near Charles River
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Time and location details place the incident just after 3 p.m. Saturday as the duck boat was exiting the Cambridge side of the Charles River, near the Lynch Family Skate Park, with video showing the tow rope snapping and the boat tipping onto its side.
2
There were 32 people aboard the tour boat, and six were injured (four minor, two serious); all aboard were accounted for.
3
Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit and Cambridge Fire; the U.S. Coast Guard was involved in the review, and Boston Duck Tours suspended operations for the remainder of the day.
4
Eyewitness testimony described hearing a loud crash, with one observer noting the chaotic scene as responders worked to determine exactly how the accident occurred.
A Boston Duck Tours amphibious vessel carrying 32 passengers overturned on a Cambridge boat ramp Saturday afternoon, injuring six people and triggering a major emergency response. The accident happened just after 3 p.m. near the Lynch Family Skatepark, as the boat was being hauled out of the Charles River, according to NBC Boston.
A tow rope snapped during the haul-out, causing the heavy vessel to roll onto its side and slide partially back toward the canal. Two of the six injured are in serious condition. No fatalities were reported, and all 32 people aboard were accounted for, CBS News reported.
Tow Rope Snaps, Sending Boat Sideways on Ramp
The duck boat began ascending the Cambridge ramp at roughly 3:05 p.m. when the heavy-duty tow rope snapped, according to TurnTo10. Without that forward pull, the vessel lost momentum, rolled onto its side, and came to rest at a sharp angle. Eyewitnesses near the skatepark described hearing a loud crack before the boat tipped "sideways in slow motion."
Massachusetts State Police confirmed that none of the 32 passengers ended up in the water. Cambridge Fire Department managed the rescue operation, verifying the passenger count on-scene. By 3:45 p.m., all passengers were accounted for, and six were taken to local hospitals — four with minor injuries, two with serious ones, Fox News reported.
Multi-Agency Response Floods the Cambridge Ramp
Cambridge Fire, Cambridge Police, the Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit, and the U.S. Coast Guard all responded to the scene. State Police called it a "major emergency rescue response." The Marine Unit secured the water perimeter while firefighters worked to extract passengers from the tilted vessel.
Boston Duck Tours suspended all tours for the remainder of Saturday and Sunday. A company spokesperson said the company is "devastated by the incident" and cooperating fully with investigators. Massachusetts State Police and the Coast Guard launched a formal mechanical inspection of the vessel and ramp equipment Sunday morning, NBC Boston confirmed.
Duck Boats Have a Long and Deadly Safety Record
The duck boat industry has faced intense scrutiny for decades. A 1999 Arkansas accident killed 13 people when a vessel sank. In 2018, 17 people died in Branson, Missouri when the "Stretch Duck 7" sank during a storm. Closer to home, a Boston duck boat killed pedestrian Allison Warmuth in Beacon Hill in 2016, which led Massachusetts to mandate cameras and proximity sensors on all such vehicles.
In January 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard finalized new federal rules under 46 CFR Part 175, requiring all DUKW operators to replace or modify canopies so passengers can escape horizontally or vertically during flooding. Saturday's crash is the first major safety event for the Boston fleet since those rules took effect, Fox News noted.
Investigation Focuses on Rope Failure and Ramp Conditions
Investigators are now asking whether the tow rope snapped due to wear and tear — pointing to negligence — or a manufacturing defect. Marine safety experts say hauling a 10-ton amphibious vehicle up a steep, wet ramp requires high-tension equipment that must be inspected daily. Cambridge officials have also raised questions about maintenance of the specific ramp, located between North Point Park and the MBTA railroad bridge, CBS News reported.
Boston Duck Tours carries roughly 600,000 passengers annually across a fleet of 28 vessels. A prolonged shutdown during peak summer season could cost millions in lost tourism revenue. Investigators have not yet set a timeline for when operations may resume, and the Coast Guard may issue a safety bulletin requiring winch and rope inspections across the entire national duck boat industry.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
10
Articles
7
Reach
17
A
AnonymousAuthor
