Duck Boat Victim's Daughter Is Suing Ripley Entertainment

ST. LOUIS, MO — Jennifer Asher's father was killed along with 16 others in July when a duck boat sank in a storm on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. Now the St. Louis woman is suing Ripley Entertainment, the company that operated the boats, for allegedly ignoring unsafe designs that have led to "numerous fatalities and injuries for almost 20 years," KMOV reports.

The suit also cites inadequate safety procedures and training for both passengers and crew. Asher is seeking $75,000 for negligence, wrongful death and emotional distress, among other allegations.

Patch has previously reported that even before Branson, duck boats had a history of fatal accidents.

Earlier this month, Coast Guard investigators said the boat should never have been on the water during the storm. While the duck boat passed a Coast Guard inspection, the agency said, the certificate issued to the company stipulated that the boat "shall not be operated waterborne" in winds over 35 miles per hour or waves higher than 2 feet.

The boat overturned in a severe thunderstorm with winds in excess of 60 miles per hour, and cellphone video shows waves much higher than 2 feet.

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Investigators say "black box" recordings recovered from the boat indicate that the lake was calm when tour began, but the National Weather Service had issued multiple weather warnings more than half an hour before the storm struck.

It's not clear if the company was monitoring those warnings. The investigation is ongoing.

Asher's father, 69-year-old William Asher, was on a two-week vacation when he was killed, along with his girlfriend Rose Hamann, according to KMOV. The television station says a jury trial is expected to take place Kansas City.

Victims of the Branson disaster also included nine members of the same Indianapolis family.

"I lost all of my children. I lost my husband. I lost my mother-in-law and my father-in-law. I lost my uncle. I lost my sister-in-law… And I lost my nephew," survivor Tia Coleman of Indianapolis told the local Fox station. "I'm okay, but this is really hard."

A GoFundMe campaign for the Coleman family has raised about three-quarters of its $1 million goal.

Authorities released the names of all 17 people killed:

• William Asher, 69, from Missouri
• Rosemarie Hamann, 68, from Missouri
• Janice Bright, 63, from Missouri
• William Bright, 65, from Missouri
• Angela Coleman, 45, from Indiana
• Arya Coleman, 1, from Indiana
• Belinda Coleman, 69, from Indiana
• Ervin Coleman, 76, from Indiana
• Evan Coleman, 7, from Indiana
• Glenn Coleman, 40, from Indiana
• Horace Coleman, 70, from Indiana
• Maxwell Coleman, 2, from Indiana
• Reece Coleman, 9, from Indiana
• Leslie Dennison, 64, from Illinois
• Bob Williams, 73, from Missouri
• Lance Smith, 15, from Arkansas
• Steve Smith, 15, from Arkansas

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

Read more from KMOV.

Photo: A vehicle of one of the Ride The Ducks accident victims has become a memorial in Branson, Missouri. (Michael Thomas/Getty Images)