Boating accidents are dangerous, but knowing what to do afterward can protect your health and strengthen your case to recover compensation. You should ensure your safety, contact authorities to report the accident, seek medical attention, and collect evidence at the accident scene if possible.
We also encourage you to hire a Boca Raton boat accident lawyer who can guide you through the legal and insurance processes and help you seek compensation for damages if you were hurt because of someone else’s negligence.
What Steps Should You Take After a Boating Accident?
A boating accident in any depth of water is serious. You could have severe injuries and risk drowning if you can’t or don’t take immediate action. Your actions after a boating accident can preserve your health and aid your pursuit of compensation for any damages you suffer.
Steps you should take after a boating accident include:
- Ensuring your safety: An accident can happen fast, and a boat can capsize quickly in some situations. You must put safety first and assess the situation. If the boat is still floating and the danger has passed, remain on board until help arrives. If remaining on the boat is too dangerous (because it is sinking or on fire), move somewhere safer, even if that means putting on a life jacket and jumping into the water.
- Reporting the accident: You should report the accident by calling 911. Dispatchers will alert law enforcement (such as the Coast Guard) and medical first responders. Don’t leave the accident scene until you receive permission to do so. The responding authorities will also create an accident report that could become critical evidence in your case.
- Seeking medical assistance: You should seek medical attention even if you don’t think you have a serious injury. Some injury symptoms can take time to present, and delaying treatment can worsen your injuries and harm your case.
- Documenting the accident: Take photographs of the accident if possible, including the damage to the boat, visible injuries, weather conditions, and the GPS location. Photographs can be crucial evidence in an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
- Collecting information from witnesses: Witness statements can benefit your case, and obtaining their statements as soon as possible is vital because memory fades over time. Ask for the names and phone numbers of anyone who saw the accident so your lawyer can contact them.
- Hiring a lawyer: A Boca Raton boating accident lawyer can explain your legal options and safeguard your rights. Your personal injury attorney can also investigate the accident and gather evidence.
Following these steps can increase the likelihood of getting the best possible outcome in your boat accident claim.
What Types of Damages Can You Recover After a Boat Crash?
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 735 boat accidents occurred in the state in 2022. Boating accidents can cause severe injuries and subsequent financial expenses that threaten your future.
Types of economic and non-economic damages an experienced boating accident attorney may help you claim include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Transportation
- Child care
- Home modifications
- Home services
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Disabilities
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
If you lost a loved one in a boat wreck, a Boca Raton wrongful death lawyer can help you seek justice for your loved one and a fair settlement to cover funeral costs, mental pain and suffering, lost income, lost companionship, and medical bills.
What if You Are Partially at Fault for the Boat Accident?
The key to collecting compensation after a boat accident is proving negligence. Common negligence-based causes of boating accidents include:
- Intoxication
- Speeding
- Boat operator inexperience
- Defective parts
- Poor maintenance
- Failure to observe navigation rules
- Poor weather
In some cases, multiple negligent actions combine to create a crash. Thankfully, you may still be able to recover compensation if you are partially at fault for the accident. Per Florida Statutes § 768.81, Florida is a modified comparative negligence state, so you can still seek compensation if you are 50 percent or less at fault for the crash.
Your damages will be reduced by your percentage of responsibility. So if you are 20 percent at fault for an accident, you’ll receive 80 percent of your awarded compensation. However, you can’t recover any damages if you are 51 percent or more at fault.
A thorough investigation and examining the evidence will help your boat accident injury attorney determine your percentage of fault, if any.
How Can a Lawyer Help You After a Boating Accident?
An experienced attorney who handles boating accident claims can help you by informing you of your rights and walking you through what you should do after a boating accident. A lawyer can also investigate the accident, collect evidence, talk to the insurance company on your behalf, and fight to reduce your percentage of fault so you can maximize your compensation.
The Boca Raton personal injury lawyers at GED Lawyers provide the following benefits:
- Multilingual staff: We can assist you in multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Turkish, Creole, Arabic, and Russian.
- Mock trials: We provide mock trials to prepare you and your case for court, if necessary.
- Accessibility: We are available for evening and weekend appointments because not everyone can take time off work to see an attorney.
- No attorney fees: We work on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win your case.
- Meeting deadlines: We will work to meet the deadline to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit in your case. You generally only have two years to file a lawsuit, per Florida Statutes § 95.11.
Our personal injury law firm has a history of winning, recovering over $26 million in compensation for clients since 1995. We believe everyone should have access to legal representation, and it would be our privilege to handle your case. For first-hand experiences with our firm, please review our client testimonials.
Learn More About What to Do After a Boat Accident Today
You have rights after suffering injuries in a boat accident. A Boca Raton boating accident attorney from GED Lawyers can help you establish the facts of the accident and recover the financial compensation you deserve. If necessary, we will take your case to trial and represent you in court.
Taking the right steps after a boat accident can make a difference in your case. To learn more about what you should do after a boating accident, please contact us for a free consultation today.
