Judge rules no punitive damages in Ride the Ducks crash

KING 5 NEWS

October 6, 2017
By Elisa Hahn and Liza Javier
Twitter @elisahahnk5
Twitter @lizajavier
 

Five people died, and dozens were injured after a Ride the Ducks amphibious vehicle crashed into a tour bus on Seattle's Aurora Bridge in September 2015.  

A Superior Court judge ruled Friday she will not allow for punitive damages in the civil suit for the Ride the Ducks crash.

Judge Catherine Shaffer said the case did not meet the high bar for punitive damages, which Washington state typically does not allow.

Punitive damages would go beyond just compensating an injured passenger. They are meant to punish the defendant for acts that are more than negligent. If allowed, punitive damages could substantially increase the money awarded to the plaintiffs.