A year after duck boat tragedy, Branson remembers how community came together

A photo of an older couple swayed back and forth as the water gently lapped against the shoreline.

Next to the photo was a bouquet of fake roses. 

The scene on Table Rock Lake, in the shadow of the Showboat Branson Belle, was much quieter on a recent Wednesday afternoon than it was last July 19.

On that night, first responders, nearby boaters and restaurant employees were thrust into action as an amphibious duck boat took on water and capsized during a thunderstorm on the lake.

Seventeen people, including nine members of the same family, were killed in the deadliest disaster in the troubled history of amphibious tour boats. Fourteen others survived the terrifying ordeal that put Branson in the national spotlight.

Now, a year later, much has changed.

Three employees of Ripley Entertainment, which ran the Ride the Ducks operation in Branson, have been indicted on federal charges amid allegations they ignored weather warnings and prioritized profits over safety. A bevy of civil lawsuits against the duck boat operators are also making their way through the court system. 

The Ride the Ducks business in Branson is now a laser tag attraction.

Heavy rains and rising water levels this summer have washed away a memorial for the victims, scattering flowers and photos — like that one of Rosemarie Hamann and William Asher that was carried up to the shoreline.

While Table Rock Lake is again humming with boats and jet skis this summer, those who were here last July say they will never forget the duck boat sinking.

Branson stood together in the face of tragedy

Karen Best, Branson's mayor last year, said she can still hear the shrieks of pain.

Branson offered up its city hall as a place where the duck boat riders and their families could congregate after the sinking. It was also the scene where many learned that their loved ones did not survive.

"That was the absolute hardest part," Best said of seeing the families react to the tragic news.

Emotionally, Best said the duck boat tragedy was the most difficult part of her time as mayor. But logistically, she said she was proud of how the community came together quickly to support the victims.

"At the time, things ran so smoothly that there was not a sense of chaos, but an extreme sense of purpose," Best said. "The purpose for the city and for city staff was to make the family members as comfortable as possible as they were going through one of the most tragic ordeals of their lives."

While the sinking happened in Stone County and not in Branson, Best said the city felt the need to step up and provide facilities and other resources since it is the closest major community.

Our coverage: What happened during the Branson duck boat tragedy?

Three days after the tragedy, Best spoke at a prayer service that was held at College of the Ozarks. She told the survivors and their families they would always be a part of the Branson family. 

Best remembers exchanging contact information with several of the survivors in the parking lot after the service. And even though she's no longer Branson's mayor, having lost a re-election bid in April, Best said she still stays in touch with the survivors — all of whom were tourists.

"They will always be part of my future," Best said. "They left a heart-print in my life. Some people leave hand-prints and some people leave heart-prints, and they definitely left a heart-print."

In addition to the prayer service and a candlelight vigil, strangers put flowers and stuffed animals on the windshields of the victims' cars as they sat in the Ride the Ducks parking lot.

Timeline: What happened during the Branson duck boat tragedy

Best said one of her lasting memories is a conversation with Tia Coleman, an Indianapolis woman who survived the sinking but lost several family members, including her husband and three children. Best said Coleman told the then-mayor how much she appreciated the support of the Branson community.

"I don’t know that the duck boat incident changed Branson; it did, however, shine a light to the world as to who Branson is," Best said. "It shone the light on that concept. People from all around the world were watching and were amazed at how our community stepped up and loved on these strangers."

A witness to the storm

While Best saw the duck boat tragedy bring out the good in strangers, Jennie Carr said she experienced the opposite.

Carr was on the Showboat Branson Belle on the evening of July 19, celebrating her 15th wedding anniversary, when a violent storm blew onto the lake.

Carr looked out the window and saw the duck boat, dubbed Stretch Duck 7, struggling as it was pounded by large waves.

"Something was telling me, 'I need to record. I need to record,'" Carr said.

So, Carr pulled out her cellphone and started shooting video of the boat battling the waves.

Carr eventually lost sight of the duck boat as it moved behind the Branson Belle, but she feared the small vessel would not make it to shore.

Carr's fears were confirmed minutes later, and she had a front-row seat as survivors were pulled up and given towels and shelter.

Interactive timeline of the tragedy: What happened on Table Rock Lake?

Later that evening, Carr decided to post her video on Facebook and share it with a local TV reporter. After that, she said, her phone erupted with calls and messages from news outlets across the country asking for permission to use the incredible footage.

"It went from me to her to all around the world in a matter of seconds," Carr said. "I didn't know that could happen."

Carr said she was surprised by what happened next: a flood of angry messages and comments from viewers who felt she was insensitive to record the duck boat or that she should have done something to help.

"They act like I should have put everything down, put on my Superwoman outfit and flown out there and saved the day," Carr said.

Carr said her heart breaks for the victims, and she will never forget walking past a disheveled Tia Coleman after she got off the Branson Belle that night.

But as for recording the video, Carr said she has no regrets. Carr said her footage has been instrumental in helping federal authorities investigate the case. She believes her actions have helped the U.S. Attorney's Office bring criminal charges against some Ripley employees and also provided evidence the victims could use in their lawsuits against the company.

"It's going to make it safer for everybody," Carr said. "So all you haters, you're welcome."

'Mass casualty' holds new meaning

After the duck boat survivors were pulled from the water that night, seven were rushed to Cox Hospital in Branson.

Officials say the team there trains regularly for mass casualty events, and that training paid off on July 19 as all seven of those patients survived.

Dr. Shawn Usery, chief medical officer for CoxHealth Community Hospital Group, said the duck boat sinking was a terrible tragedy, but he's proud of the work done by witnesses, first responders and his hospital staff to help save some of the victims.

"We drill for this and we prepare for this," Usery said. "We have a system by which we are able to alert and activate more resources as they are needed... The team did a fantastic job of getting all the resources together that were appropriate."

Usery said it's a challenge for hospitals to handle a sudden influx of patients like that, but the hardest thing was helping the survivors and family members through their grief.

"I think the kids are the ones that I remember," Usery said. "You prepare yourself for tragedies with adults, but tragedies involving children are much harder emotionally to deal with. My interactions with the kids will be the things that I never forget."

Usery said his role on the night of the sinking was to make sure the Cox Branson staff had the necessary resources to handle the needs of the victims — some of whom were suffering from respiratory problems or issues related to their exposure to cold water. The next day, he was on scene providing assistance.

In the weeks and months that followed, Usery said those routine trainings for mass casualty events took on a different feel. 

"I think anytime you go through a situation like that, when you go to future training or you drill something, you have in the back of your mind, 'This really could happen,'" Usery said.

Usery said Cox Hospital was just one of many Branson-area entities that rose to the occasion in the aftermath of the duck boat tragedy.

On the anniversary, Usery said Cox will host a meal to honor the victims and celebrate the medical staff and first responders for their efforts that night.

"This was a whole community that went through this together," Usery said. "We want to be a community that deals with that together."

First responders: Rescue crews remember a night they wish to forget

What does the future hold for Table Rock Lake?

As storm clouds moved into the Table Rock Lake area on a recent Wednesday afternoon, a look of concern spread across the face of Larry Heckman.

"We've still got a couple of boats out," Heckman said from the dock of the marina at Rock Lane Resort.

Storm clouds at the lake are not taken lightly, especially for residents like Heckman who were on the water July 19.

Heckman, who can see the site of the duck boat sinking from his dock, said the winds on July 19 were rivaled only by those that accompanied the 2012 Leap Day tornado.

"It was fast and furious," Heckman said. "That's about all I can really describe it as."

As the storm blew through the lake on July 19 with 60 mph winds, Heckman said he didn't initially realize what was happening down shore near the Branson Belle.

A year after the tragedy: Will duck boats ever ride again in Missouri?

When an employee called to ask about the scene at the lake, Heckman said he looked out to see flashing lights going across the dam.

"It was pretty much total chaos over there," Heckman said.

As Heckman learned the full extent of what happened with the duck boat, he said he was extremely saddened.

In the days that followed, he said everyone who came to the marina seemed to be talking about the tragedy, and several people canceled their reservations to take a boat out on the water.

"It affected a lot of people," Heckman said. "We had several reservations to come in, and there were a few that canceled basically for that reason. They lost their enthusiasm."

Now that a year has passed, Heckman said he didn't know if the tragedy had changed things at Table Rock Lake, other than the duck boats are no longer on the water.

Ripley Entertainment has announced it will not resume the duck boat operation in 2019. As for the future, there is some uncertainty.

Asked if he could imagine duck boats ever going past his dock again, Heckman paused.

"I'd be surprised," he said.