Boating accidents often happen as a result of carelessness and can easily bring about severe and lethal injuries. Boating accidents aren't limited to smaller pleasure boats either, they can easily happen on anything from cruise ships to Navy boats.
Regardless of what size vessel or the circumstance around it a boating accident is a distressing thing. One of several things which make it so unsafe is the chance of drowning. A skilled group of lawyers is required to totally investigate any boating injury accident and decide the main cause.
Atherton Injury Attorney is well versed in maritime law. The Jones Act, Maritime law and Admiralty law are all things Atherton Personal Injury Lawyers understand totally along with personal injury law.
If you or a family memberhas suffered a boating injury it is easy to get in contact with Atherton Injury Attorney at 650-249-3148. You'll be able to also email us online.
Comprehending Boating Accidents
Frequent Causes
Collisions are the most frequent reason behind serious personal injury and fatality in boating accidents. Other injuries are falling or slipping, foolhardy driving, driving under the influence, boat failures and inexperienced watercraft operators.
Together with boating, other water sports such as swimming, water skiing, jet skiing and fishing are quite popular. Regrettably, there is the potential for danger in these activities, especially when someone is inexperienced or inebriated.
Nowadays you'll find over a million private watercraft vessels in use. Each and every year injuries and fatality take place roughly 5,000 times each year.
Safety Helpful Hints
Here are several safety tips which can easily prevent accidents.
- Prior to leaving your house to have fun with a day out on the vessel, check the weather outlook. Furthermore, once out, if you notice an unexpected change in the wind or see flashes of lightning and choppy water, this can easily indicate a storm is developing. Should this happen, you really should head for shore right away as storms can easily grow quite rapidly.
- You shouldn't go enjoying water sports without certain things onboard the boat in a watertight container which floats. Some examples are sunscreen, emergency first aid kit, map of the waterway, flashlight and batteries, sun glasses, matches and a flare.
- Make certain someone understands where you're going, who is along with you, and exactly how long you will be away.
- Be sure to check your boat prior to going, for example the engine and fuel supply.
- Learn how to swim. The best thing anyone can easily do to remain safe in and around the water is to learn to swim.
- Utilize Coast Guard-approved life vests for yourself and your passengers when boating and fishing.
- Do not consume alcohol. Alcohol use causes roughly 50% of all fatalities on our waterways.
Look for a boating course in your region (U.S. Power Squadron, Red Cross, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, US Sailing, and many others) - these courses teach navigation procedures, unexpected emergency procedures and the results of wind, water circumstances, and weather.
The Jones Act
The Jones Act, 46 USC 688, is a federal maritime law which protects those hired on a ship in jobs such as crewmember, commercial fisherman or seaman. The Jones Act provides extensive protection for crew members that are injured or die through carelessness of their employer.
Here at Atherton Injury Attorney our purpose is to help our clients who've been in a boating accident get the help they need. Our lawyers are the best you will find and they understand what clients need. We work with you to accomplish only the best final result for your case.
By deciding on Atherton Injury Attorney, you'll choose a company with a solid reputation and dedication to their clients, along with the resources necessary to fight strong defendants.
Atherton Injury Attorney is an experienced accidental injury lawyer practice. Atherton Injury Attorney success and professionalism, both inside and out of the court room, can easily be seen in the results.
Jet Ski Mishaps
Jet skiing is an exciting activity which water fanatics have been enjoying for many years. Jet Skis can be extremely fast and easy to control.
But when driven by someone who is either inexperienced, inebriated or irresponsible that are lethal. Somebody on jet skis is more likely to wind up harmed than other watercraft used for fun. Injuries experienced are often quite serious.
Injuries from jet skiing can easily include:
- hypothermia
- drowning
- burns
- disfigurement and amputation
- head injuries
- soft tissue damage or broken bones from ejection
- carbon monoixde poisoning
Statistics
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard has gathered boating stats for 2004.
There are lots of specifics which affect the accident reports. Remember to keep this in mind.
- The report does not consist of every single accident connected with a recreational vessel. Some incidents aren't in the system because they may not be necessary to be noted. Even though all fatalities are thought to be included not everyone knows, or conforms, with the reporting regulations.
- Boating accidents taking place on private waters aren't always reported as the aren't under state authority. Reports of incidents on such waters are included in this report when obtained by the Coast Guard if they satisfy additional prerequisites for inclusion.
- The specific amount of boating accidents not involving a fatality is in fact much greater than what's statistically known as the data is based purely on incidents that are reported.
Ten Key Causes for Boating Accidents
- Careless Operation (570 accidents - 43 fatalities)
- Operator Inattention (562 accidents - 55 fatalities)
- Operator Lack Of Skill (406 accidents - 42 fatalities)
- Extreme Speed (401 accidents - 39 fatalities)
- Perilous Waters (312 accidents - 57 fatalities)
- Drunk Driving (296 accidents - 109 fatalities)
- Passenger/Skier Behavior (291 accidents - 26 fatalities)
- Machinery System Failure (285 accidents - 21 fatalities)
- No Appropriate Lookout (271 accidents - 11 fatalities)
- Rules of the Road Infringement (188 accidents - 13 fatalities)
Five Accident Types
- Vessel Collision (one,479 accidents - 68 deaths)
- Fixed Object Collision (525 accidents - 46 deaths)
- Falling Overboard (488 accidents - 199 deaths)
- Capsizing (393 accidents - 184 deaths)
- Skier Occurrence (380 accidents - 7 deaths)
Fatalities
- Drowning (484 fatalities)
- Trauma (114 fatalities)
- Other (32 fatalities)
- Hypothermia (10 fatalities)
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (2 fatalities)
- Unknown (34 unknown)
General Boating Stats
- In 2004, there were approximately 12,781,476 registered recreational boats. There 4,904 boating accidents were recorded, contributing to 676 fatalities, 3,363 personal injuries and roughly $35,038,306 in damage to property.
- Around 70% of all fatal boating accident people drowned (484 out of 676). Around ninety percent of the victims who perished were not dressed in life vests. Around 431 lives may have been saved this past year if boaters had worn their life vests.
- Alcohol was involved with roughly one- third of all boating fatalities.
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