A duck boat tour turned into a scare on the Charles River in Cambridge on Saturday afternoon when the amphibious vehicle overturned near the Museum of Science, sending passengers scrambling and drawing a massive emergency response to the riverbank.
The vehicle tipped as it was being pulled up a ramp, and first responders rushed to get people off the boat, move them to shore, and sort out who was hurt. By early evening, flashing lights, fire trucks, and police cruisers had turned the area into a full-scale incident scene, with onlookers lining the river as medics worked on the injured.
According to WCVB, Massachusetts State Police said all occupants were accounted for, and the Cambridge Fire Department and state troopers were handling the situation at the ramp on the Education Street side of the river. Crews treated multiple patients on the riverbank while the area stayed closed for recovery work. Officials did not immediately release the names of those hurt or where they were taken.
Video broadcast by local stations and shared online, including footage carried by CBS Boston, shows the duck boat had broken down and was being towed by another vessel when the tow rope snapped as the craft was coming off the water near the Lynch Family Skate Park. The sudden break appears to send the boat sliding backward and tipping onto its side while still partly in the river. CBS reported that, at the time of that broadcast, officials had not yet confirmed the number or severity of injuries.
State police later said six people were injured when the boat overturned, while Cambridge police told WCVB that two victims had serious injuries and four had minor injuries. Emergency medical crews evaluated passengers at the scene and loaded some into ambulances, according to early reports. Authorities said everyone was out of immediate danger and that no one was left in the water after the vessel rolled.
How It Unfolded
Onlookers and video suggest a chain reaction that started with a mechanical issue, escalated into a towing operation, then ended with a tow line giving way at the worst possible moment. CBS Boston reported that the rope snapped just after 3 p.m., sending the duck boat backward as it climbed the ramp and causing it to tip over on its side.
Investigators are expected to dig into maintenance records, towing protocols, and operating procedures to figure out exactly what went wrong and whether it could have been prevented.
Safety Record And Oversight
Duck boats have been under a federal microscope since a 2018 disaster on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, where a capsized vessel killed 17 people. In the wake of that tragedy, the National Transportation Safety Board pushed for tougher rules on buoyancy, emergency exits, and other safety standards for amphibious tour vehicles, as detailed by the NTSB. Those recommendations, and ongoing debate over how closely the Coast Guard should regulate these hybrids of bus and boat, still shape national conversations about duck boat safety.
That history is likely to loom over any regulatory review if investigators in Cambridge determine that mechanical failure, operator error, or towing practices played a role in this latest incident.
State and local investigators are expected to remain on scene into the evening and release more details as they sort through witness accounts, video, and physical evidence. News outlets and public agencies have asked anyone who recorded footage or witnessed the flip to share information with authorities. This report will be updated as officials provide new information.
