Tia Coleman, the Indianapolis woman who lost her husband, all three of her children, and five extended family members in the July 2018 Branson duck boat sinking, reached a confidential settlement with Ripley Entertainment in early 2019 to resolve her federal wrongful death lawsuit. The dollar amount was never disclosed. The judge overseeing the litigation described the payments across all related cases as “substantial.”1Springfield News-Leader. Branson Duck Boat Lawsuits: Ripley Settlement Claims
Who Tia Coleman Is and What She Lost
Coleman was aboard the Stretch Duck 7 with her family on the evening of July 19, 2018, when the amphibious vessel entered Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri, and sank in a fast-moving storm with winds reaching 73 miles per hour. Seventeen of the 31 people on board died.2NTSB. Investigation DCA18MM028
Nine of the dead were members of her family. She lost her husband, Glenn Coleman, 40, and their three children: Reece, 9; Evan, 7; and one-year-old Arya. Five extended relatives also died: Angela Coleman, 45; Belinda Coleman, 69; Horace Coleman, 70; Ervin Coleman, 76; and Maxwell Coleman, 2.3NBC News. Woman Who Lost 9 Relatives in Duck Boat Accident Shares Heartache Coleman and her 13-year-old nephew, Donovan Hall, were the only members of the family group to survive.4ABC News. Photo Shows Happy Family Before Duck Boat Horror
The Wrongful Death Lawsuit
In September 2018, Coleman filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, docketed as Case No. 6:18-cv-03280-BP. The complaint named six defendants: Ripley Entertainment, Branson Duck Vehicles, Ride the Ducks International, Ride the Ducks of Branson, Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, and Amphibious Vehicle Manufacturing.5Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky. Tia Coleman Family Federal Wrongful Death Complaint
The complaint alleged negligence, gross negligence, and recklessness. It accused the defendants of sending the tour out despite a severe thunderstorm warning that had been issued for the lake one minute before the vessel launched, failing to enforce life jacket use, ignoring known design flaws in the vessel’s buoyancy and canopy, and prioritizing profits over passenger safety. Coleman sought monetary damages for wrongful death, pain and suffering, and lost wages. She also asked the court for injunctive relief ordering the defendants to stop operating duck boats until the vessels were made unsinkable and their canopies removed.5Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky. Tia Coleman Family Federal Wrongful Death Complaint
She was represented by Robert J. Mongeluzzi, Andrew R. Duffy, Jeffrey P. Goodman, and E. Douglas DiSandro Jr. of the Philadelphia firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, along with Missouri attorneys Gregory W. Aleshire and Kevin J. Rapp of Aleshire, Robb & Rapp.6Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky. Our Prayers Have Been Answered Says Death Trap Duck Boat Survivor Tia Coleman
The Settlement
The Coleman family’s settlement with Ripley Entertainment was confirmed in a federal court filing in early 2019.7Indianapolis Star. Indy Family Reaches Settlement in Duck Boat Tragedy The dollar figure was sealed, matching the pattern in every other case tied to the sinking. Ripley declined to discuss the terms.8Kansas City Star. Ripley Reaches Settlements in Duck Boat Lawsuits
U.S. District Judge Doug Harpool, who oversaw the litigation, publicly described the settlement amounts across the cases as “substantial.” That is the only characterization on the record.1Springfield News-Leader. Branson Duck Boat Lawsuits: Ripley Settlement Claims
Coleman’s suit was one of roughly three dozen filed against Ripley. By November 2019, 32 of 33 claims had been resolved.9Ozarks First. Ripley Reaches Settlements in All but One of Branson Duck Boat Lawsuits The last remaining case was resolved on January 16, 2020, at which point a Ripley spokesperson confirmed that all civil claims against Branson Ride the Ducks had been settled.10Springfield News-Leader. Final Lawsuit Settled in 2018 Duck Boat Sinking
Where the Criminal Cases Stand
The civil side closed. Criminal accountability has not. Three Ride the Ducks employees — the vessel’s captain, Kenneth Scott McKee, general manager Curtis Lanham, and manager on duty Charles Baltzell — have faced charges in both federal and state courts, and neither prosecution has produced a conviction.
Federal prosecutors first brought a 47-count indictment under the Seaman’s Manslaughter statute. In December 2020, Judge Harpool dismissed all charges, ruling that Table Rock Lake is not “navigable” in the legal sense because it is used for recreation rather than commercial shipping, which meant federal admiralty jurisdiction did not apply.11CNN. Missouri Duck Boat Charges Dismissed The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal in May 2023.12U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. United States v. McKee, No. 20-3671
Missouri prosecutors then filed 63 felony charges against the same three men in July 2021, including 17 counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter against each.13KY3. Stone County Prosecutor, Missouri Attorney General Files 63 New Charges A Stone County judge dismissed those charges in April 2022, finding no evidence the staff knew about the specific gust front that sank the boat.14KCRA. Judge Dismisses Charges in Missouri Duck Boat Tragedy Then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt refiled nearly identical charges within days, and the defense challenged his authority to prosecute without the local prosecutor.15KCUR. Missouri Attorney General Not Actually Allowed to File Charges in Duck Boat Case, Defense Argues In May 2024, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled the prosecution could move forward, though no new court date had been set at that point.16Northwest Arkansas Homepage. Duck Boat Manslaughter Case Can Move Forward After Appeals Court Ruling
Coleman’s Advocacy and the Law That Followed
Coleman did not go quiet after settling. Less than a month after the sinking, she held a news conference at her Indianapolis home urging the public to sign a petition asking federal officials to ban duck boats, which she called “death traps.”17WFYI. Survivor of Duck Boat Sinking Urges Ban on Such Crafts She backed Senate legislation requiring improved buoyancy and canopy removal.18The Grio. Tia Coleman, Duck Boat Survivor, Haunted by Memories She requested a personal meeting with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, saying the agency’s inaction “killed my family.”19Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky. Lawyers for Branson Missouri Duck Boat Victims Urge Coast Guard to Adopt NTSB Safety Recommendations When Missouri filed state criminal charges in 2021, Coleman said through her attorneys that her “prayers have been answered.”6Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky. Our Prayers Have Been Answered Says Death Trap Duck Boat Survivor Tia Coleman
Congress eventually acted. The Duck Boat Safety Improvement Act passed as part of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, and President Biden signed it into law on December 23, 2022.20Professional Mariner. NTSB Welcomes Duck Boat Safety Rules in Defense Bill Congressman Andre Carson of Indiana, whose district includes Coleman’s home, championed the bill in the House.21Office of Congressman Andre Carson. House Passes Carson Bill to Make Duck Boats Safer The law requires operators to remove canopies or install non-restricting designs during waterborne operations, requires passengers to wear personal flotation devices on the water, directs the Coast Guard to pursue rulemaking on watertight compartmentalization and passive buoyancy, requires weather radios and a return to harbor during wind warnings, and requires independently powered bilge pumps with alarms and emergency-activated underwater LED lights.
Ripley Entertainment never reopened the Branson duck boat attraction. The company confirmed in 2019 that the boats would not run that season and placed them in storage, and the Branson Chamber of Commerce later confirmed the operation was permanently closed.22Waterways Journal. Duck Boats Auctioned, Era Ending