SEATTLE — The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the deadly crash of a duck boat and a charter bus on a busy Seattle bridge is expected to take months.
The agency plans to hold a briefing Saturday afternoon on the crash.
Four international students died in the crash Thursday after witnesses said the duck boat crossed the center line and veered into the oncoming bus.
The investigation is being watched by other operators of the hugely popular duck boat tours.
“Safety and security are always a concern,” said Cindy Brown of Boston Duck Tours. “When anything happens in our industry, we’re all acutely aware.”
Brown said her operation hasn’t changed any procedures, but the owners and safety team would evaluate the situation after the federal investigation is complete.
The amphibious vehicle tours are offered throughout the United States and the world, including in Philadelphia, Austin, Texas, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and London.
It’s the first time the NTSB has looked into a land crash of the amphibious vehicles, which critics say are too dangerous for city streets. The federal agency has scrutinized duck tour vehicles several times when they’ve been in accidents on water.
Investigators will spend a week or more on site. They will be inspecting the wrecked vehicles, which have been towed to the Seattle police department warehouse. They will also inspect the Aurora Bridge where the crash took place and interview witnesses.
State regulators also have opened an investigation, which entails inspecting all vehicle and driver records.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission spokeswoman Amanda Maxwell said the amphibious vehicle involved in the crash — known as Duck No. 6 — underwent regular annual federal standard inspections, most recently in 2015 and 2014, and met federal standards.
The state also reviews the company’s fleet every few years, looking for systemic problems, Maxwell said. The last review, in December 2012, focused on a sample of the company’s vehicles and did not include Duck No. 6.
“So far, our investigators are satisfied with the maintenance records” of the duck tours vehicle, Maxwell said.
Meanwhile, 15 people remain hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center, spokeswoman Susan Greggs said. One person remains in critical condition, eight are in serious condition and six in satisfactory condition, she said. Initially 51 people were taken to area hospitals after the crash, but most have since been released.
Barb Graff, Seattle’s director of the Office Emergency Management, said a private location has been established for families of the deceased and injured, where city, county and Red Cross workers are offering assistance and mental health counseling. Several hotels in Seattle are making rooms available to the families free of charge, Graff said, and Delta and Alaska airlines are helping with international and domestic flights.
The North Seattle College, which the international students onboard the bus attended, has also established a support center for families or students affected by the tragedy.
“We’re doing everything we can to help families make it through the tough time,” Graff said.
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