Editor's note: The video above is from September 2019, when the driver spoke for the first time about the deadly crash.
SEATTLE — Saturday marks seven years since the deadly 2015 Aurora Bridge crash that killed five people and left several others injured.
On September 24, 2015, Ride the Ducks of Seattle was operating a Stretch Duck with a defect when the left front axle housing failed, causing a crash on the bridge.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash and found that the duck boat involved didn't have the axle repair that was recommended in 2013.
Ride the Ducks faced more than a dozen lawsuits following the crash. In June 2019, a woman from Montana was awarded $4 million in damages in what was believed to be the final lawsuit after years of litigation.
Ride the Ducks of Seattle sued its parent company in 2019, saying the parent company knew of a defect in the vehicles used for sightseeing tours but didn't disclose the information.
The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the company's decision to close.
Ride the Ducks of Seattle closed and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in April 2020. Legal issues stemming from the deadly crash were "too much for the company to overcome," according to a statement on the company's website.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy does not involve a repayment plan like Chapter 13 bankruptcy, instead allowing the trustee to gather and sell the debtor's nonexempt assets, using the proceeds to pay creditors.