The warm summer months of the year are the perfect opportunity to get out on the water and enjoy the best that Mother Nature has to offer. Unfortunately, they are also among the most dangerous for those in the United States each year, particularly in the event of a boating accident. According to USCGBoating.org, there were approximately 88 fatal accidents involving boats and other water vessels in July of 2015 alone, with a further 866 falling into the “non-fatal accidents” category. Approximately 14% of all boating accidents result in fatalities each year.
Seek Treatment Immediately
A large part of the reason why boating accidents result in so many fatalities is because you’re dealing with a situation that is significantly more dangerous than a car accident or other common personal injury scenarios. In the immediate aftermath of a boating accident, the first thing you should do is make sure that everyone involved is safe and call medical assistance immediately should it be needed. Make sure that you get your boat, jet ski or other water vehicle back to shore and make the health and well-being of everyone involved your number one priority.
When It Comes to Legal Assistance, Experience Matters
One of the factors that contributes to boating accidents being more complicated than something like a car accident has to do with the many different laws you’re dealing with given the circumstances. Not only do you have to worry about things like maritime law, but also each state typically has its own rules and regulations regarding what constitutes a “safe” boating experience.
In most states, for example, in order to gain financial compensation and to recover damages you need to prove that your injuries resulted from someone’s negligence. Just because you were injured does not necessarily mean that someone was negligent, however – you must be able to prove that the operator of the vessel acted without a certain reasonable care that is required by law.
This is true in many of the common boating injury scenarios, like if your boat hits another boat on the water, if your boat causes an injury as a result of another boat’s wake, if the boat you’re riding on hits a particularly nasty wave and more. Factors like the boat’s speed, the visibility on the day and even boating traffic will all play important roles in an eventual court case.
At Harshbarger Law, our focus is and will always be on one key place: our clients. Whether you or a loved one has been injured in the unfortunate event of a boating accident, or if you’re just looking for more information about a particular situation and need help navigating to the most favorable outcome possible for everyone involved, don’t delay – contact your friends at Harshbarger Law today.