Three men have been charged in connection with a duck boat accident that took place in Missouri in 2018. Seventeen people were killed in the incident, nine of which were Indianapolis residents. The three men have been charged with several counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

All the three accused were called to court for a preliminary hearing to decide if the criminal case against them would proceed.

The three accused are identified as Kenneth Scoot McKee, 54 (he was the captain of the vessel, duck boat), Curtis P Lanham, 39 (he was the general manager in Branson of Ride the Ducks), and Charles V. Baltzell, 79 (operations supervisor and the manager on duty when the accident happened). All three are charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter.

McKee is also charged with 12 counts of first-degree endangering the life of the child because 12 children were aboard the vessel when it capsized at Table Rock Lake in Branson on July 19, 2018.

Amongst those killed, nine were from the same family of Indianapolis. The rest hailed from Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois. Fourteen passengers survived the duck boat accident.

Charges against the accused were filed in July. The affidavit mentioned that the captain of the ship took the duck boat onto the lake despite the possibility of a coming storm. The two others were accused of not warning the captain about the weather conditions and not stopping the operation even after a severe thunderstorm warning was given.

All three pleaded not guilty in September. McKee also filed a motion to dismiss his charges on the pretext that the other two (manager and supervisor) didn’t communicate the danger of the storm and halt the tour. The tour boat operators have also been dealing with several lawsuits being filed against them.

If your loved one is killed in any sort of accident, you should call an Indianapolis wrongful death lawyer right away.

Source: Read Here