Recreational Boating Accidents: Introduction to Legal Resources and Accident Trends
Whether on a personal watercraft or a 60-foot yacht, recreational boating is a popular activity enjoyed by millions of Americans. However, according to the United States Coast Guard (USCG), boat accidents and boating-related injuries are on the rise in lakes, rivers, and coastal waterways with over 5,000 accidents occuring each year.
The national law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, represents persons seriously injured and families of loved ones who died as the result of negligence of others. Passengers or bystanders injured in boating accidents may be eligible to bring claims against the boat operator if he or she is at fault. In most accidents, the boat operator never undertook any training in boat safety and many cases was under the influence of alcohol. If a safety defect lead to the injury, on behalf of our clients, our firm will investigate whether a lawsuit should be filed against the boat manufacturer.
Accident Trends Reported by the United States Coast Guard
The USCG assesses the impact of operator error, mechanical malfunctions, and environmental factors to determine the various causes of boating accidents, and then evaluates the possible benefits of government action (such as boater education, legislation/regulation, and changes in boat construction standards).
Tracking data from 2006-2007, the USCG reported in the 2007 Recreational Boating Safety Statistics that:
- Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, ninety (90) percent were not wearing a life jacket.
- Only fourteen (14) percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received boating safety instruction.
- Three out of every four boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.
- Operator inattention, careless/reckless operation, passenger/skier behavior, excessive speed, and alcohol use rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
- Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 21% of the deaths.
- Sixteen (16) children age 12 and under lost their lives while boating in 2007, compared to 29 children in 2006 and 21 children in 2005. Half (8) of the children who died in 2007 died from drowning.
- The most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (44%), personal watercraft (24%), and cabin motorboats (15%). The number of deaths associated with the use of canoes/kayaks increased to 107 in 2007 as compared with 99 in 2006.
Legal Rights of the Injured
The law in most states provides individuals with legal claims and the right to compensation for injuries they suffer as a result of a defective product or the negligence of another. The injured person may file a lawsuit seeking compensation for his or her pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost past and future wages and punitive damages.
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If you have been injured as a result of the negligence or another, please click here to contact an experienced personal injury attorney at the national law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP.
About Lieff Cabraser
Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a sixty-plus attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. For the last seven years, the National Law Journal has recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law firms in America.
For our personal injury cases, we bring a team of experienced lawyers. Each client is assigned an individual lawyer. In addition, we have on staff multiple nurses, legal assistants, scientific analysts and case clerks to assist the attorneys. Learn more about our firm.