Boating injuries occur on a wide variety of watercraft; from privately owned boats such as powerboats, cabin cruisers, fishing boats, sailboats, catamarans, and yachts, to ferryboats, riverboats, hovercrafts, hydrofoils and cruise ships. Because a personal watercraft (PWC) such as a jet ski is considered a motorboat, a PWC accident is considered a boating injury.

The most common cause of non-fatal boating accident injury is a collision with another boat or object in the water. Reckless or negligent driving or boating while intoxicated also result in collisions. Fires and explosions due to equipment malfunctions lead to flooding and sinking of boats resulting in the serious injury and often death of crew and passengers.

Fatalities most often happen when someone falls overboard or the boat capsizes. If the victim is not able to swim or is not wearing a life jacket, they may drown. And when the accident happens in icy water, hypothermia may be an added factor contributing to serious injury or death.

Federal law and state regulations set forth circumstances in which you are required to report a boating accident. You must report an accident to local law enforcement when:

• a death occurs
• if there are injuries that require medical treatment beyond first aid
• the disappearance of a person occurs
• if there is property damage of at least $2000.

If a death occurs or you are a victim of serious injury, consulting an attorney immediately is prudent to protect your legal rights. As with any personal injury case, statues of limitation set the time frame for reporting a boating injury and filing a claim to recover damages.

At Bailey & Galyen, our personal injury attorneys have helped many clients pursue litigation to obtain compensation for serious injury as well as lawsuits to recover boat and property damage, resulting from a boating injury.

If you have questions about a death or serious personal injury arising from a boating accident in Texas, Florida or Missouri, call Bailey & Galyen today at 800-529-8008. We are available 24 hours a day. Se habla Español.

Have You Been Injured? Personal injury lawsuits are complicated and expensive to mount and that is why we take all cases on contingency, meaning there is never a fee until we recover a settlement in your favor. If you've been injured, CONTACT Bailey & Galyen today for a FREE consultation and peace of mind from one of our Personal Injury trial attorneys.