Jurors see vehicles involved in deadly Ride The Ducks crash

SEATTLE—The civil trial stemming from the deadly Ride The Ducks Seattle crash continued on Tuesday.

This time, jurors got an up close and personal look at the vehicles involved in the deadly 2015 crash. Also, victims who survived while riding duck number 6 took the stand.

“It was like slow motion,” said duck passenger Rhonda Cooley.

Joann Gerke and Rhonda Cooley recalled the moments the duck boat crashed on the Aurora Bridge in 2015.

“The duck driver when he stood up he turned around and he was covered in blood,” said Cooley

The couple were tourists visiting from Wisconsin. They had no idea their city tour would end in a crash that killed five and injured dozens more.

“I’ve had such anxiety of coming back here,” said Gerke.

The crash happened when one of the duck boat’s wheels sheared off which sent the amphibious vehicle careening into the southbound lanes – directly in the path of a charter bus.

At issue in this trial, back in 2013 Ride The Ducks Seattle’s parent company recommended safety modifications for several of the boats’ front axles. But NTSB investigators said they did not find any evidence the repairs had been made on the duck boat that crashed.

This civil trial representing other victims including Cooley and Gerke allege their lives are now forever changed after being injured in the crash.

“I still have trouble with my ribs and shoulder and body in addition to everything else,” said Cooley. “It doesn’t work like it used to work."