There are hundreds of thousands of private boat owners in the United States. Because of our weather, proximity to the ocean, and abundance of lakes and waterways, California has more boat owners than most other states. Unfortunately, having more boats means more boating accidents.
A boating accident can occur on someone's privately owned boat, a personal watercraft (jet ski), a chartered boat, or even a ferry. The most common boating accidents are collisions with other boats, collisions with stationary objects, slip and falls on the boat, and sinking. These incidents are frequently caused by the Negligence, recklessness, or inexperience of the owner or operator, failure to observe boating regulations, ignoring unsafe conditions on the boat, failure to maintain the vessel in proper working condition, and bad weather.
When a boating accident does occur, the injuries can be severe and the threat of drowning is always present. Other boating injuries can include minor cuts and scrapes, bruising, broken bones, back and neck injuries, and pain and suffering.
Generally speaking, both the owner and operator of a boat have a duty to exercise the highest degree of care in order to prevent injuries to others. Similar to other types of accidents, common theories of liability include Negligence, defective product manufacturing, and defective product design. Boating accidents are very difficult to recreate and establishing the relative liability of the parties involved takes the skill of an experienced litigator.
Boating accident cases are subject to various Statutes Of Limitation which limit the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit. In order to protect your rights, you should immediately contact an attorney with experience in boating accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured on a boat, call The Scranton Law Firm today for a free consultation.
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