When it comes to recreation, boating seems to be at the top of the list for people who enjoy being out on the water. Sure, there are canoes, but those are a lot of work. There are yachts, but they don’t offer you the freedom of taking the wheel, accelerating to full speed and cruising into the open ocean with a long, hard day’s work at your back. Unfortunately, it can be a costly recreation, and not just in terms of gas and maintenance. It can come with a physical price. Tennessee Boat Accident Lawyers may be able to help.
Risk
Because many boats do not come equipped with seat belts, accidents, while rare, are often more severe than car crashes, resulting in more serious injuries. Further to that, a safety-regulated car will have compartments for luggage. Whether out of convenience or simple inaccessibility, most captains will keep important items, like fishing gear, on the boat’s deck. In a crash on the water, those items become guided missiles.
Types of Accidents | Tennessee Boat Accident Lawyers
While seat belts and spare compartments could minimize the risk associated with boating, it would not be fair to say that their intended purposes would make a whole lot of difference, or sense, in other circumstances. There are as many types of boating accidents as can be conceived of. The most common accidents associated with boating are:
- Open water collisions with other boats (most lethal)
- Running aground
- Striking an object on the water (buoy, swimmer)
- Water-skiing or tubing-related accidents or injuries
- Capsizing
- Fires or explosions
Negligence
Oddly enough, car accidents and boating accidents have something in common. In most circumstances where multiple riders are injured, the driver walks away alive and virtually unscathed. As most vehicular crashes and the injuries associated with them can be traced back to negligence on the part of the driver, most of the injuries that riders sustain in boating accidents can be traced back to the driver as well.
Negligence comes into play when a rider is injured due to a driver’s failure to follow safety protocol in a given situation. One of the most common breaches of safety protocol is a failure to maintain awareness of the surrounding waters.
If you have been the victim of a boating accident that took place as a result of an operator’s negligence, or you know someone who has, you may be entitled to compensation.
Acquiring a boating accident lawyer is your first step towards making sure that your grievances are met with attention. Boat accident lawyers will work with you to make a case on your behalf, and to present that case to a jury with the evidence that you will work together to collect.
In order to receive compensation, you must prove that:
- The accident could have been prevented if safety protocol had been followed
- The injuries that you sustained were a direct result of the accident
- Compensatory responsibility lies with the negligent party
Boating accident-related injuries include:
- Hypothermia
- Broken bones
- Cuts and bruises
- Second and third-degree burns
- Spinal trauma
- Electrocution
- Concussions
- Drowning
A Boat Accident Report must be filed with the law enforcement agency responsible for the jurisdiction in which the accident occurred with 48 hours of injury, death, or a missing person, by, or for the victim. Once you have filed, take down the names and addresses of eye-witnesses that will testify on your behalf. Take notes and pictures of your injuries.
Your boat accident lawyers will work with you to lay out a case for your claim.
