Boating carries a serious risk for injury. A number of unfortunate events can lead to tragedy on the water, whether boating in a large vessel or a small boat. 

Accidents on large vessels typically involve fires, explosions, a land or reef collision, or a collision with another vessel. These accidents have the potential to cause damage to one or more vessels or the environment. In addition, persons aboard or on land can sustain injury or die, or simply disappear.

Accidents from boating activities usually include collisions, capsizing, flooding, or sinking. These can be the indirect result of a number of factors, including boating under the influence of alcohol, stressors such as wind, rain, sun, or waves, or lack of experience in boating.

In many cases, these accidents are a result of negligence. Thus an experienced watercraft accident lawyer can file a lawsuit to recover damages.

The attorneys at Rue & Ziffra, P.A., are talented trial lawyers who are respected by the judges they come in front of and other members of the bar, as well as experienced watercraft accident attorneys. Our lawyers have handled numerous boating accident cases and have had successful outcomes in our three decades of practice.

Here are some startling statistics regarding boating accidents from the United States Coast Guard:

• In 2005, states and jurisdictions reported a total of 12,942,414 registered recreational boats compared with 12,781,476 in 2004. 
• The 4,969 boating accidents reported in 2005 resulted in 697 fatalities, 3,451 injuries, and $38,721,088 in property damage.
• Florida had 973,859 registered motorboats and 603 boating accidents in 2005.
• Approximately 70% of all fatal boating accident victims drowned.
• The most reported type of accident was a collision with another vessel.
• Overall, carelessness/reckless operation, operator inattention, excessive speed, and operator inexperience are the leading contributing factors of all reported accidents.
• The most common types of boats involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (45%), personal watercraft (PWC) (26%), and cabin motorboats (14%). Increases were observed in the number of reported fatalities involving PWC, cabin motorboats, inflatables, sailboats, and houseboats from 2004. A decrease was observed in the number of fatalities involving canoes/kayaks and rowboats from the number of fatalities reported in 2004.

If you have been involved in a minor or a major boating accident, contact Rue & Ziffra for your free consultation, and find out what you might be entitled to.

 

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