Ervin Coleman, who lost nine members of his family in a July 19 duck boat accident in Branson, Mo., sued the companies that run the vessels Sunday, saying that they knew for years that the boats were unsafe but continued to run them, a move his attorney calls “outrageous.”

Tragedy struck Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri on Thursday night when a tourist duck boat capsized, claiming the life of 17 people. There were 31 people on-board, ranging in ages from 1-76. One family, The Colemans lost nine family members.