The US Coast Guard established a Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) after the sinking of the Stretch Duck 07 boat in Branson, Missouri on July 19. An MBI is USCG’s highest level of investigation, and it was last used for the ‘El Faro’ and the disappearance of the fishing vessel ‘Destination.’
The board will consist of five members and it will collect facts and testimony about the sinking, and it will try to find any evidence of legal violations, misconduct and negligence.
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MIB will also examine how government regulators acted, including the US Coast Guard, in order to conclude whether they may have had opportunities to prevent the accident.
The duck boat ‘Stretch Duck 07’ sank in June due to a storm, with initial estimations saying that 13 people have drowned. However, divers recovered the last bodies from the boat, raising the number to 17 dead. In addition, the vessel’s black box was also discovered and is being prepared to be examined.
Now, families of two of the nine that died when a duck boat sank in a Missouri lake, have filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit wanting $100 million in damages from the owner of the boat.
According to the lawsuit, the fatal accident was caused by “unacceptable ignorance of safety by the Duck Boat industry.” Thus, the families are seeking $100 million against the owners of the duck boat.
