International students injured in crash sue Ride the Ducks

Students in the North Seattle College International Program were involved in a fatal crash on the Aurora Bridge Thursday morning. (Photo via Seattle Fire Department Twitter.)
Students in the North Seattle College International Program were involved in a fatal crash on the Aurora Bridge Thursday morning. (Photo via Seattle Fire Department Twitter.)

A North Seattle College student who was injured after a Ride the Ducks tourist vehicle crashed into her charter bus on Sept. 24 filed a lawsuit against the tour operator this week.

Phuong Dinh, 18, of Vietnam, who is still recovering from a severely broken leg in a nursing facility in Seattle, was the second student to file suit against the company following the crash. In October, student Na Ra Yoon, 21, of Korea, also filed a lawsuit against the company.

Dinh, who also suffered a broken arm and cuts to her face, told reporters this week her health insurance will soon lapse because she can no longer be enrolled for classes at North Seattle College. According to Dinh, she has yet to hear from Ride the Ducks, and her father has taken leave from his construction business to be in the U.S. to care for her during her recovery. Dinh’s mother had to return to Vietnam to care for her siblings, according to The Seattle Times.

Dinh and Yoon were among the dozens injured in the September crash on the Aurora Bridge that killed four international students who attended North Seattle College.

According to investigators, a Ride the Ducks amphibious vehicle went out of control when an axle failed, and the vehicle crashed into the charter bus transporting college students, tearing a hole into the bus.

Ride The Ducks’ amphibious tours in Seattle remain suspended while multiple agencies, including the Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission, continue to investigate the crash.

Read more:

Seattle Times: Two months later, victim of Ride the Ducks crash struggles with recovery, expenses

KIRO TV: Aurora Bridge crash victim, lacking support, is about to lose insurance

KING 5: Aurora bus crash victim worries about her future