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The amphibious tour vehicle overturned Saturday while being towed from the Charles River after experiencing a mechanical problem on the water.
The duck boat was seen flipped on its side Saturday on the ramp at 10 Museum Way in Cambridge. Jonathan Wiggs/Global Staff
Eleven people were injured, one seriously, after a Boston duck boat capsized at a boat ramp along the Charles River in Cambridge on Saturday, authorities said.
The incident happened shortly after 3pm at the boat ramp at 10 Museum Way near Education Street. Massachusetts State Police spokeswoman Sarah Burgess said 31 people were aboard the duck boat when it flipped onto its side. He said Boston Globe.
One person was pinned inside the vehicle and extricated before being transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, according to Boston EMS. Details about their condition were not immediately available.
According to Burgess, the duck boat broke down while aboard the Charles and he was pulled up the boat ramp by another duck boat when the tow rope snapped, causing the vehicle to overturn.
Boston Duck Tours spokesman Thomas Vigna said in a statement that the company suspended operations as a precaution for the rest of the day.
“We are working with the Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard to review the incident,” Vigna said.
Saturday’s extension is the latest incident involving Boston Duck Tours. In May, a 62-year-old woman was injured when she was struck by a duck boat while on a downtown crosswalk. In 2016, a 29-year-old woman was struck and killed by a duck boat while riding a motorcycle near Boston Common, prompting Massachusetts to require blind-spot cameras, proximity sensors, and separate tour guides on vehicles.
Boston’s duck boats are one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, transporting visitors through the downtown streets before flowing into the Charles River. It was modeled on World War II-era amphibious military vehicles Tours began in 1994 It has become a sightseeing staple. The duck boat involved in Saturday’s capsizing, named the Molly Molasses, was named in 1999, according to WCVB a report.
. . . ” globe Duck boat operators are routinely trained to tow another vehicle if it becomes disabled, but Saturday’s rollover accident was a first.
“They’ve never had an accident on the water like this before,” Lecce told the outlet. “The ducks would get stuck, and we’d tow each other. That’s part of our training when I worked there as a duck boat captain, learning how to pull ducks out of the river.”
The duck boat remained on its side near the river for several hours before it was removed from the scene just before 7:30 p.m., authorities said. globe.
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