Reasons To Hire A Boat Accident Lawyer

To say that boating is a popular activity in Florida is an understatement. The Sunshine State has the most registered recreational boats in the entire nation. 

Still, with so many vessels, accidents are quite common. To make matters worse, they often lead to serious injuries and a lot of material damage. 

If this happens to you or a loved one due to the other party’s negligence, you owe it to yourself and them to hire a boat accident lawyer. This is the only way you can seek justice and obtain an appropriate amount of compensation for your troubles. 

Boating accident statistics

According to US Coast Guard statistics, in 2021, there were 658 recreational boating fatalities nationwide. Additionally, there were 2,641 non-fatal injuries.

The fatality rate was 5.5 deaths per 100,000 registered vessels and the property damage totaled $67.5 million. 

The primary cause behind most of these accidents is operator error. Even though a lot of accidents happened due to improper training or lack of experience, the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents was alcohol, accounting for 16% of the total fatalities.

The sad reality is that in many ways, you can take all the necessary precautions and feel extra safe while operating your boat, yet still get involved in an accident because of someone else's carelessness.

When should you hire a boat accident lawyer?

We usually advise everyone to seek legal help whenever they get in an accident. Some boating accidents are so complex, you can only recover the appropriate compensation with the help of an experienced boat accident lawyer.

If any of these apply to you, you should seek legal counsel ASAP:

1. The liable party is uninsured

Although boating is widespread in Florida, boat insurance is not required by state law. Yes, not getting coverage is ludicrous since you would need to pay all the costs out-of-pocket, but the reality is that many boat owners simply never purchase a policy. 

Unfortunately for you if you get involved in an accident with an uninsured individual, seeking compensation will be considerably harder. This is why you should have a boat accident lawyer who can protect your rights and figure out a way for you to get fairly compensated.

2. You were offered a low settlement

While it’s easy to assume that your insurance company will help you cover your medical expenses and property damage, this is not the case sometimes. Insurance companies are a business, and as such, they have to look out for their bottom line. Because of this, they’ll either offer you a minuscule amount of money or deny your claim altogether.

This can be devastating to your finances, especially if you suffered extensive injuries and had to miss work for a significant amount of time. 

You should never assume the insurance company will work in your best interests, which is why you should hire a boat accident lawyer who can communicate with the insurer on your behalf and help you recover a fair settlement.

3. Poor boat maintenance contributed to the accident

As a proud boat owner, you should always regularly inspect it to make sure it’s in the best operating condition. For instance, you should regularly lubricate all the mechanical parts to minimize the chances of malfunctions while at sea. 

If the liable party’s vessel malfunctions due to a lack of maintenance and contributes to the accident, you’ll need a boat accident lawyer to help you build a strong case.

This also applies to situations in which both operators did everything by the book but the accident still happened due to a manufacturing defect. You may have to sue the manufacturer. These types of cases are more convoluted and you’ll need a legal professional on your side to successfully prove negligence.

4. There is an element of negligence

While some boating accidents may be avoidable, typically this is not the case as one of the operators was acting in a negligent manner. For instance, they weren’t following the safety rules or were operating the vessel distracted (similar to distracted driving).

Regardless of the reasons, their failure to keep the other operators safe from harm directly led to a serious accident and they may be liable for the damages.

However, proving negligence isn’t easy as the other operator will most likely claim they are innocent. This is why you need to hire a boat accident lawyer who can investigate your case and successfully prove the other party acted carelessly.

5. You suffered severe injuries

If another person bumped into your boat while docking, you weren’t harmed and your boat only requires a bit of paint, you might not require legal help. But if you suffered severe, debilitating injuries, you will need to hire a boat accident attorney.

Boat collisions are generally quite serious and even if the resulting material damage is low, you can still suffer serious neck and back injuries. For example, torn ligaments and herniated discs are quite common in these scenarios. 

Some people also suffer severe burns or electrocution if a boat collision damages a boat's electrical system. 

These injuries are quite expensive to treat and normally take a lot of time to recover from. Because of this, you need to ensure you recover every penny to cover these injuries without suffering financial ruin on top of everything else.

Pursue justice with RITE law

By going through the process alone, you run the risk of being cheated out of the settlement you deserve under the law and your insurance policy.

We recommend hiring a boat accident lawyer as soon as possible. Timing matters in complex cases such as these, and the sooner you get the investigation going, the more likely you are to recover proper compensation.

The experience of your legal team also matters a great deal so you should only work with lawyers who have a track record of handling complicated personal injury cases. For this reason, you should get in touch with the Law Offices of Rite. We’ve handled many personal injury cases and will fight tooth and nail until justice is served.

Call (904) 500-RITE (7483) or send a message to info@rite4justice.com to book a free case review.

Note: 

The information in this blog post is for reference only and not legal advice. As such, you should not make legal decisions based on the information in this blog post. Moreover, there is no lawyer-client relationship resulting from this blog post, nor should any such relationship be implied. If you need legal counsel, please consult a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.