Coleman family files second lawsuit in duck boat tragedy

Lawyers for the Coleman family, which lost nine relatives in the duck boat tragedy at Table Rock Lake, have filed another wrongful death lawsuit, they said in a news conference in Indiana.

One of the family’s attorneys, Robert Mongeluzzi, said this was not the first time the duck boat industry was warned.

“We will walk united with them until duck boats are banned and until no family, no family has to endure what this family has endured,” Mongeluzzi said.

The suit blames decades of quote, “greed-driven, willful ignorance of safety” for the tragic incident.

“Sixteen years ago, the duck boat industry was warned of this very hazard that their canopies trap people when their duck boats sink,” Mongeluzzi said.

The lawsuit claims the defendants have been repeatedly told to change the design of their duck boats.

Mongeluzzi called the boats “coffins” and “death traps.”

“Rather than doing anything about it, they just continued to sell more tickets. And this family has paid for that ticket with precious life and blood,” Mongeluzzi said.

Yesterday, the Colemans filed a lawsuit against Ripley Entertainment for $100 million in damages, claiming the owner and operator favored profits over people’s safety.

Today, the surviving family members came forward to remember their family, and to tell the world they want to ban the duck boats or, at the very least, make them safer in design.