With more and more boats on the water, it isn’t surprising that there are an increasing number of boating accidents. It is estimated that recreational and commercial boating has nearly tripled over the last decade, with over 14 million boats and personal watercraft currently registered in the United States today. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, there are currently over 8,600 boat crashes each year, and these accidents leave over 900 people dead and almost 4,500 seriously injured.
Powerboats are the most common in these accidents, especially speed boats, cabin cruisers and jet skis, although sailboats hold their own dangers.
Personal injury most often results from the trauma from the collision itself or from propellers.
The most common causes of boating accidents include:
- Capsizing
- Sinking or flooding
- Falls overboard
- Collisions
- Fire
- Explosions
- Disappearance
- Bad weather conditions
- Driver error
Any time you have gotten injured in a boating accident, as with any accident, it is probably best to seek medical attention. In event of an injury that is not treated immediately after an accident, defendants will try to argue that the accident was not the cause or sole cause of your injuries.
An experienced boating accident attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken, & Hightower can help you if you have been injured in a boating accident involving:
- Recklessness of other boaters
- Impaired boaters – boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Water skiing accidents
- Jet ski accidents
- Personal watercraft
- Recklessness of other boaters
- Overcrowding conditions
- Failure to provide personal floatation devices
- Speeding
- Any other violations of state boating laws
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