Boat Accident Litigation

Boating can be an exciting and fun recreational activity, but it's also a risky one. If a negligent decision leads to an accident and their families could be entitled to monetary compensation for the injuries and losses.

A NYC boat accident attorney can assist injured victims to receive the compensation they deserve. A claim includes a demand for past medical expenses as well as other financial damages.

Damages

Although many people associate bodies of water with the Wild West in the United States, there are laws that govern the vessels on rivers and lakes as well as oceans. Boat accidents can be governed by multiple federal and state laws which are weighed in determining if negligence took place. For example, if a boat operator was drunk, this could lead to civil action for negligence. There are federal laws that deal with the issue of pollution and deaths at sea. There are also maritime regulations, like the Jones Act, that provide injured workers and their families with similar compensation pathway to other industries.

If a loved-one was killed in a fatal boat accident family members may sue for damages, including lost companionship and funeral costs. They may also sue for pain and suffering. Families may also seek compensation for medical bills from the past and future medical expenses.

If a boat accident caused injuries to you or your loved ones, a New York City norco boat accident lawyer accident attorney can help you determine the kind of damages you could be entitled to claim. A personal injury lawyer will examine your insurance coverage and the responsible party's boat liability policies to determine the type of damages you could be entitled to in a settlement or a verdict. A knowledgeable lawyer can assess whether there are any additional individuals who are liable for the accident, such as the manufacturer of a defective fairview boat accident attorney or boat component.

Liability

Generally, injured boaters seek damages to cover medical expenses (past and anticipated) and lost income due to time missed from work, pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and damage to their boats. Serious injuries commonly involve neck and back injuries and brain trauma, fractured bones, paralysis and internal organ damage.

Boating accidents often involve multiple people who could bear legal liability for a collision, such as the boat's operator, any passengers on board at the time of the crash along with other watercraft and vessels involved in the collision, the manufacturers of the boats and their parts or engines and even authorities responsible for putting buoys to warn people of danger conditions. An attorney for personal injury will be knowledgeable of federal and state maritime laws in order to determine who is liable in the event of an accident.

Under the Jones Act a worker on a vessel injured at sea enjoys the same rights to those of workers compensation beneficiaries. Similarly, sailors who are injured on international waters or in the outer continental shelf waters have the right to file a claim under the Jones Act and other federal maritime regulations. The families of injured maritime workr any damages.

The legal process for seeking compensation for a boating accident involves filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit against the party or parties that are liable. It is common to present evidence to support an insurance claim for both economic and noneconomic damage. Economic damages are the cost of medical treatment and other expenses related to the accident, such as lost income from missed work. Noneconomic damages include pain and suffering and other intangible damages which are harder to quantify.

In certain cases, a boat manufacturer, or an element of the boat can be held accountable for a mishap if their product was designed or manufactured in a manner that was not safe. A New York boating accident lawyer will investigate the possibility of product liability and seek compensation from the responsible parties.

In certain instances there are instances where it is not only the operator of a brawley boat accident lawyer who may be held liable for the event of a crash. The owner of the vessel may be held responsible in addition, especially if they are responsible for hiring or training the person operating their vessel, or allow someone who is not fit to operate an unfit boat to use their property.