Survivor Of Duck Boat Accident Who Lost 9 Family Members Was Told Life Jackets Weren't Necessary

Jul 25, 2018 by apost team

Tia Coleman survived the Branson Duck tragedy that took 17 lives while out on the water in Branson, Missouri. Many people have been buzzing about this tragedy online, but now Tia is speaking out about the terrible incident.

Tia lost nine family members in the boating accident. She told media at Cox Medical Center Branson that the captain told them they did not need to have their life jackets on. Bob Williams, the captain of the boat, also died in the disaster.

Coleman’s three children, Reece, Arya, and Evan, along with her husband Glenn, were also among the victims.

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Coleman says that when they encountered bad weather, she figured the captain would tell them to grab their life jackets. But she says everyone was told to stay in their seats, so they did. Coleman believes that if her son had been wearing a life jacket, he would have survived. She also stated that if she had been able to grab a jacket that she would have been able to save her kids.

Coleman says the life jackets will still be on board when the boat is found, as not one person put one on. She goes on to say that when the water started to come up onto the boat, she wasn’t sure what was happening.

All of a sudden, she couldn’t see or feel anyone, including her autistic son. She believes that she hit her head as she tried to save herself. As the water was pulling her down she kept saying that she had to get to her children. Unfortunately, she was unable to save any of them.

Coleman was among 11 family members to board the boat. Only her and her nephew lived.

She says that at one point, she decided to just float and hope she was rescued. She felt the water getting warmer as she floated to the surface. She then felt someone pull her out of the water.

Coleman says she doesn’t know how to recover from this type of incident. She wants everyone to remember her family and how beautiful they were. She says she is trying to hold on to her faith as much as possible. A GoFundMe page has already raised more than $662,000 and counting as of press time. Karen Abbott lost her brother and sister-in-law in the boat accident, William and Janice Bright.

She was not on the boat herself. She blames the company for its negligence in their deaths.

She thinks it is ridiculous that they do not make you wear your life jackets. In the United States, 24 people have died since 1994 in duck boat accidents. 

Watch the video below to learn more about this tragic story:

Our hearts go out to those who have lost someone in this horrific accident. Please leave your thoughts and prayers in the comments.