The tragic drowning of 17 individuals on the Indianapolis Table Rock Lake on July 19 is now resulting in the first of many wrongful death lawsuits against the duck boat company, Ripley Entertainment. Three families have come together to file a duck boat wrongful death lawsuit to the tune of $100 Million.

NBC2 reports on the details of the tragic mass drowning, “the duck boat carrying 31 people sank after taking on too much water after a storm, and the lawsuit contends that Ripley Entertainment recklessly put the lives of its passengers at risk by ignoring storm warnings and failing to take corrective measures…Ripley ignored repeated safety warnings over two decades about the duck boats’ canopies and the danger they pose during an emergency.”

When wet, the canopies on the duck boats acted to effectively cage passengers, making emergency escapes very difficult.

Included in the lawsuit is a request for punitive damages and a mass death like this has a real chance of getting these rare type of damages mainly because of the level of notice and defective (and ultimately dangerous) design. Punitive damages in personal injury and wrongful death cases are limited to those scenarios in which the defendant’s behavior is particularly bad. Here, Ripley Entertainment had been told multiple times that the canopies and other features of the boat were unsafe and needed to be fixed. Additionally, other duck boat deaths of a similar nature have occurred recently.

Deaths like this are tragic and mot importantly avoidable. While a lawsuit cannot bring a loved one back, it can help to ease the financial strain that comes with their absence and hopefully effect necessary safety changes so that accidents like this never happen again. If you have lost a loved one as the result of the carelessness and negligence of another party, we want to help with your legal needs. Hiring Walch Law for your LA wrongful death lawsuit takes very little effort on your part, costs you nothing upfront and can help provide financial and emotional closure during this difficult time. We are so sorry for your loss and here when you are ready to learn more.