Sure there are bluffs. They don't tend to be vertical at water level for a very long distance. Anyway the tragedy occurred within non-motorized-rescue distance of the dock for "The Showboat Branson Belle", which is an area with more gently sloping shores. Here's a view of that area from the north:
If they had started out right next to the dam, they couldn't have driven up onto that, but in that case they would have passed about half a mile of shoreline before sinking.
If this sort of thing happened at Lake of the Ozarks, the main obstacle would be all the lake-home seawalls... CoE regs prevent installation of those amenities at Table Rock. Of course, given the Lake's wealthier/more prestigious clientele, duck rides would never prosper there...
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6044492,-93.3119691,3a,75y,2...
If they had started out right next to the dam, they couldn't have driven up onto that, but in that case they would have passed about half a mile of shoreline before sinking.
If this sort of thing happened at Lake of the Ozarks, the main obstacle would be all the lake-home seawalls... CoE regs prevent installation of those amenities at Table Rock. Of course, given the Lake's wealthier/more prestigious clientele, duck rides would never prosper there...