4 dead, 8 injured in collision Ride the Ducks & Charter bus

[WanderingWinoZ]

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/ride-the-ducks-vehicle-collides-with-bus-on-aurora-bridge/
More/older updates at link


Update at 2:24 p.m.: All four people killed in Thursday’s crash were students at North Seattle College.



Ron Chow, a representative of the Chinese consulate, said after speaking with hospital and North Seattle College officials, confirmed that all four bus passengers who died were students.





In all, 48 students from six countries were involved, Chow said. He wasn’t sure how many of them are Chinese.



Update at 2:21 p.m.: Bloodworks Northwest is issuing an urgent demand for blood donors to replenish local supplies depleted Thursday by a massive fatal accident on the Aurora Bridge. “We got a call for 15 STAT O-negative units at Harborview,” said Dave Larsen, a spokesman for the regional blood center.




Source: News reports (Kelly Shea and Mark Nowlin / The Seattle Times)

In addition to Harborview Medical Center, a level-1 trauma center, other area hospitals were also issuing requests for blood to help victims of the accident that killed at least four and critically injured at least 12 , he added.



“They’re coming in fast and furious,” he said. “It’s just a huge demand from one event.”



There’s additional demand for blood components for victims in the crash that involved up to 50 people, including many less seriously hurt, said Dr. James AuBuchon, Bloodworks president and chief executive.



Area hospitals generally have a sufficient supply to meet the demands of such emergencies, but with so many injuries in a concentrated time and location, donors are needed to build reserves back up quickly, Larsen said.





O-negative and O-positive blood types are especially needed, officials said. Donors may make appointments as soon as possible at one of the center’s 12 sites or at a mobile drive.



For more information, visit www.bloodworksnw.org.



Update at 2:13 p.m.: Harborview Medical Center update from spokeswoman Susan Gregg: 17 at Harborview, 8 critical, 8 serious, 1 satisfactory — of those, three are in surgery. Youngest patient is 17. Thirty others at other hospitals with less serious injuries. A total of 47 patients.



Not expecting additional patients at Harborview.



Update at 1:54 p.m.: Warren Brown, the president of North Seattle College, said there were two buses of students and staff on the college trip, with 45 students and staff in each. He spoke briefly at Woodland Park Zoo, where some of those people were taken after the crash. About 25 of them were uninjured or didn’t have serious injuries and were taken back to campus. Brown said he didn’t yet have a clear number of how many students and staff were injured.



Trinidad Alcaraz, security and EMT manager at the zoo, said the 25 people at the zoo were all young, and all were examined by the zoo’s security staff and emergency-medical technicians. He said he believed all of them had been on the first bus.



“Some had some minor injuries, obviously shock,” he said. “We made further recommendation that they be seen at the college and be re-evaluated.



About 30 people from the college came to pick them up and drive them back to campus, Alcaraz said.



Update at 1:45 p.m.: Brad Volm, 23, of Philadelphia, was driving north in an SUV behind a Ride the Ducks vehicle when the amphibious vehicle “swerved” and crashed into the Bellair charter bus. He said it appeared there was something wrong with the Duck’s front left tire, which had red fluid leaking from it.



Another driver swerved to avoid the Duck and the bus and Volm crashed head-on into that other vehicle, he said.



“It all happened so fast,” said Volm, who was on a cross-country trip with his friend Bradley Sawhill. “I got out of my car and there were bodies just everywhere. People laying in the street.”



Update at 1:34 p.m.: Brian Tracey, president of Ride the Ducks, said he is “trying to get more information, just like you.”



“It was devastating,” he said. “All I care about is the safety of the passengers and the people who were injured on the Duck.”



He said the company has a good safety record. “We train and train and train and have ongoing continuing-education classes with our captains and our drivers to make sure they’re being safe all the time,” he said.





Meanwhile, 14 total patients are being treated at at Harborview Medical Center. Twelve are critical, one is serious and one is satisfactory. Injuries range from face to head.



The other 30 patients are less seriously injured and were triaged to local hospitals, including UW Medical Center and Northwest Hospital & Medical Center. Family members who might think a loved one is at Harborview, can call 206-520-5200.



Update at 1:14 p.m.: Victims and hospitals:



14 people at Harborview, 12 critical.



10 patients triaged with less serious injuries taken to other Seattle hospitals.



UW Medical Center in Seattle has five patients, all in satisfactory condition.





Northwest Hospital Seattle: Males ages 60, 24, 22, 20, 19, 17. Female age 36. All satisfactory; one more expected



Group Health says they have two patients.



//

[alm0nd88]

So sad

[WOT?*]

OMG, I've been on RTD a number of times (three times this summer with family x2 and a Girl Scout troop). The Captains joke around and keep things light but they're very serious about safety and training, and most have driven them for years. The pictures are horrific. I can't imagine being a part of that mess.

[mominatrix]

I can't even explain just how scary that bridge is, even in the best of times. Multiple lanes in each direction, VERY narrow, absolutely no barrier between the (north and southbound) lanes, with a (if I recall correctly) 55 mph speed limit.

If I'm not driving, I literally sit with my eyes shut whenever I go over it, and I am not a nervous person.

Ducks on that bridge? So so scary.


Edited to clarify

[WOT?*]

I know exactly what you mean mominatrix. One of the girls in the Scouts troop was actually hit in the face by a tree branch (limb, whatever) as we were approaching the bridge because it was so narrow. The Ducks don't have windows and they have to hug the lanes so closely that a tree branch just whipped right inside and hit her. I'm another clutcher on that bridge. My guess is that it was once-upon-a-time a two-lane but since they couldn't widen it as traffic got worse, they just narrowed the lanes to scary-but-legal. There is no reason that the road should be as fast as it is out there. I have to drive 25 through my less-scary-with-plenty-of-shoulder thoroughfare to get to the freeway? WTF do they have Aurora pegged at higher than 35?

[elleblue]

What's a ride the ducks vehicle?

[mominatrix]

Sept 24, 2015 17:34:50 GMT -5 elleblue said:

What's a ride the ducks vehicle?

They're WWII amphibious vehicles, kind of a bus meets a boat. You can go on tours that take you around the city and into the water all in the same vehicle.


www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/about/dukw-history/


Edited link

[elleblue]

Sept 24, 2015 17:39:03 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

Sept 24, 2015 17:34:50 GMT -5 elleblue said:

What's a ride the ducks vehicle?

They're WWII amphibious vehicles, kind of a bus meets a boat. You can go on tours that take you around the city and into the water all in the same vehicle.


www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/about/dukw-history/


Edited link

Ooh yeah, that doesn't seem like crossing that particular bridge would be safe. 

Those poor people.

[redheadbaker]

How many deaths have to happen before they ban these things?

[WOT?*]

I saw this on KOMO. Good job Canlis. First time they've closed their doors to diners in 65 years, and it's to feed first responders. www.komonews.com/news/local/Canlis-closes-doors-to-feed-aurora-bridge-first-responders-329307681.html

(cynical me says they wouldn't be getting diners tonight anyway due to the location of the accident, but softie me says Nicely Done.)

[joenali]

40 mph in aurora bridge. But most people drive much faster. Such a terrible accident.

[LoveTrains]

How sad. We have the ducks in Boston and they are great but they don't go on streets that fast at all.

We also have a bridge like that over here and they finally put a barrier between the lanes (the Pell Bridge into Newport). It's horrifying and I have to close my eyes while on it (if not driving).

[mominatrix]

Sept 24, 2015 19:21:26 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

I saw this on KOMO. Good job Canlis. First time they've closed their doors to diners in 65 years, and it's to feed first responders. www.komonews.com/news/local/Canlis-closes-doors-to-feed-aurora-bridge-first-responders-329307681.html

(cynical me says they wouldn't be getting diners tonight anyway due to the location of the accident, but softie me says Nicely Done.)

I was cynical about it, too, until I found out they've had people outside all day, bringing food and water to first responders, journalists, and pretty much anybody else out there...

[epphd]

So sad. I'm actually shocked the deaths were on the bus, but now seeing the pictures - and considering the ducks are basically windowless tanks, I guess it makes sense Sam was on one this summer with gramma. Glad he had a chance to go because it ain't happening again.

Also - took me over an hour to get 5 miles home due to re reroutes - that was at 5:15. DH came home at 10:30 from a dinner... traffic still a mess. Oy.

[WanderingWinoZ]

Sept 24, 2015 17:52:50 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

How many deaths have to happen before they ban these things?

They do actually take safety very seriously & the last 2 that I worked on weren't 1- not at all the ducks fault for one crash & 2- only about 25% of the ducks fault in the 2nd crash.