The family of the youngest victim of the Seattle Ride the Ducks tour bus crash has filed a lawsuit against the tour company, the city of Seattle and the state.
Runjie Song, 17, was the youngest of five to die when the amphibious vehicle slammed into a bus carrying college students.
The family’s lawsuit blames Ride the Ducks for failing to repair axles in its fleet of vehicles.
An axle defect was shown to have contributed to the crash after an extensive investigation.
The lawsuit also lays the blame at Seattle and state officials which jointly maintain the Aurora Bridge where the accident occurred.
It says it is a ‘high accident corridor’ due to its narrow traffic lanes, and has the ‘highest number of disabling accidents in the Puget Sound,’ citing a 2003 state department of transportation report.
At least 15 accidents have occurred on the bridge in the last three years, the lawsuit claims.
The Aurora Bridge lanes are 9 feet 5 inches wide, much narrower than the average 11 to 12 feet found on modern roads.
Following the post crash investigation, Ride the Ducks admitted to more than 400 violations and was fined $222,000.
