Seattle Tour Group Admits Safety Violations, to Pay $222K

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle tour company involved in a deadly September crash has admitted to 463 safety violations and has agreed to pay $222,000 in penalties to settle a Washington state complaint.

Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission staff found 159 of Ride the Ducks' motor safety violations were acute or critical to protecting public safety. The rest were related to record keeping.

Commission staff and the company have proposed suspending another $111,600 in fines related to the record keeping violations, as long as the company keeps up with ongoing testing requirements for two years.

The agreement now goes before the three-member commission.

The crash on Seattle's Aurora Bridge killed five international college students and injured dozens of others when a repurposed military "duck boat" swerved into a charter bus.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board blamed a defective front axle on the duck boat.