One Thursday morning in September 2015, Eric Bishop was behind the wheel of a full duck boat. He was playing Sinatra for his 36 passengers as they headed north on the Aurora Bridge.
Then, he heard "a clunk clunk."
That was the sound of the duck's axle failing. Bishop remembers losing control of the vehicle, and then watching helplessly as a "black and white wall" appeared before him. It was a southbound motorcoach, carrying college students to new student orientation. The duck crashed into its side, killing five.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a full accident report on the crash, in which they stated "no evidence was found to indicate that either driver made driving errors that contributed to the crash." Still, Bishop says, "I will go to my grave with those five people and their families."
In this interview, Bishop remembers what it was like to be behind the wheel in the fatal crash, and how the memories of that day have lingered with him for long afterward.
