Tia Coleman Speaks After Losing Her Family In Duck Boat Accident

BRANSON, MO – JULY 20: The fleet of the World War II DUKW boats are seen at Ride the Ducks on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Hundreds of mourners stopped by the location to pay their respects to the victims after a duck boat capsized in Table Rock Lake in a thunderstorm on Thursday.(Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)

Duck Boat Accident Victim Speaks After Losing Family

Tia Coleman decided to speak public after losing 9 members of her family when a duck boat capsized, sharing her story of survival Saturday afternoon at a news conference at the hospital where she’s being treated.

“I thought I was dead,” she said, recounting the moment she was sucked under. “I didn’t know how to get out.”

Coleman, sitting in a wheelchair and flanked by loved ones, said she didn’t see a cloud in the sky when she boarded the Ride the Ducks boat with her family. Crew members told them a storm was heading toward the area but there didn’t appear to be any danger.