Dania Beach Boating Accident

Often referred to as Broward’s first city, Dania Beach, Florida, is a beautiful location to spend time with friends and family. Whether on a vacation, a day trip, or you live nearby, you can walk along the coast, be close to nature, and even head out onto the water. For the thrill-seekers among us, you can hire boats, jet skis, and other vessels to get away from the world for a while.

Unfortunately, Florida is very much the hub of boating accidents and nowhere else in the United States even comes close to competing (though not a desirable competition). After a boating accident, some victims experience life-changing injuries such as broken bones, spinal cord damage, and brain injuries. Meanwhile, others suffer from strains, sprains, hip damage, knee injuries, and other injuries that generate medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

If you’ve been involved in a boating accident, you may be entitled to compensation…often obtained with a little help from a Florida boat accident lawyer. Here’s everything you need to know!

Boat Accident Statistics

If you’ve stumbled across this article by chance, you might not think that this is a serious problem. However, you would be wrong. Back in 2015, the US Coast Guard revealed that there were over 670 serious boating accidents. Sadly, this led to 52 deaths and nearly 400 injuries. Five years later, the pandemic caused a monumental shift in our ability to leave home yet there were still nearly 840 boat accidents. In total, 79 people died and nearly 535 people were injured.

Therefore, this is a consistent problem in Dania Beach and the whole of Florida. Compared to 2019 alone, the number of boat accidents increased by 16% in 2020 and the number of boat accident deaths increased by 14%. According to the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), only one person out of every ten who drown is found wearing a life jacket.

Common Causes of Boating Accidents

To continue the worrying note, a large percentage of boat accidents each year are also preventable. For example, here are three of the most common causes that a boat accident law firm typically encounters each year:

Poor Lookout

When enjoying the Florida waters, what many boat operators fail to realize is that dangers are all around. While roads have restrictions, dangers can appear on the left, right, behind, or in front. With no lookout, you don’t have a 360-degree field of vision, and this leads to boat accidents.

Lack of Attention

Without a lookout, the boat operator needs to pay even more attention to their surroundings. As you’ve probably guessed, this doesn’t happen. When enjoying a day away from the stresses of the world, it’s too easy to switch off and forget the hazards of operating a boat. Especially in Florida, many boat operators don’t have experience, and this places even more emphasis on awareness, something that boat operators involved in accidents often lack.

Lack of Experience

We’ve just touched on it, but another issue is that many boat operators don’t have any experience with boats. Imagine sending a driver onto the road without having operated a vehicle before - you would probably want to avoid wherever they were driving that day. Unfortunately, those involved in boating accidents don’t have the option to avoid inexperienced operators.

Another contentious issue for lawmakers in Florida is drugs and alcohol; in some incidents in 2020, boat operators were found to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. With all the cases that we’ve seen in this section, you can probably guess that both drugs and alcohol are a huge problem. As well as inhibiting the senses, they reduce reaction times and cause other issues.

Types of Boat Accidents

Firstly, don’t be afraid to contact a boating accident lawyer after any form of boat accident in Florida. With legal help, you can avoid common challenges and get compensation after an accident. This being said, the most common types of boating accident are as follows:

• Jet ski accidents
• Sinking and flooding
• Slip and falls
• Drowning
• Capsizing
• Colliding with other boats
• Hitting docks, piers, rocks, or other obstacles
• Falling overboard

As we’ve already seen, there’s often a dangerous concoction of no experience, no lookout, no attention, and even alcohol and drugs.

Boating Regulations and Laws in Florida

When contacting a boating accident lawyer, the good news is that they will understand the boating regulations and maritime laws that govern your case. But what are these regulations and laws?

With boating contributing to the tourism industry in Florida, lawmakers are decidedly relaxed compared to other states. For example, one of the scariest facts is that no law exists that restricts the age of boat operators. Thankfully, boat companies and rentals tend to introduce age restrictions.

However, people also don’t need to hold any special license, nor do they need to have completed any training. In theory, you could hire a boat and head out onto the water with no previous experience today.

When it comes to maritime laws, these are slightly different and follow federal law. What does this mean? For one thing, you can take a boating accident lawsuit into court when seeking compensation. However, it needs to go to federal court. Compared to state court, this means different processes and systems. Make sure you partner with an experienced Florida boat accident lawyer for the best advice and assistance.

With very few restrictions, people of all ages and experience levels can take a watercraft out. Since many have no experience or training, they don’t understand how to operate the boat properly let alone understand the dangers present when operating such a watercraft.

Can You Claim Compensation From a  Boating Accident Injury?

This is the all-important question and the best way to find an answer is to contact a boating accident lawyer since they provide tailored advice. However, one of the most important details is that you are entitled to compensation if another party was responsible for the accident. For example, it might be that the operator of another boat lacked awareness or was operating the vessel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Even if you were injured while on a friend’s boat, you don’t have to claim against the friend. Instead, you claim against the insurance company. Consequently, you shouldn’t think twice about claiming, and your friend will understand this. The insurance company will need to compensate you after an incident rather than the money coming from your friend’s pocket.

Alternatively, some boating accidents are the result of a manufacturing error or a defective feature of the vessel. In this case, you may be entitled to claim compensation against a mechanic or even the manufacturer. If the manufacturer allowed a faulty vessel to leave its facility, it is liable for the damages caused.

Whatever the cause, contact a professional after a Dania Beach boating accident. At The Injury Firm, we’ll assess the details of your case before deciding on the best course of action. Thanks to our boating accident lawyers' experience, we know how to build a strong case that either leads to a settlement or a court victory.

Steps After a Boating Accident

If you’ve experienced a boating accident in Florida, the first step is always to get medical attention. Why? This serves two purposes:

• It’s the first step on the road to recovery
• It generates paperwork detailing the extent of your injuries

If you don’t seek medical attention, the defendants may claim that your injuries weren’t as serious as claimed. If you didn't get medical attention at the scene, visit a medical facility as soon as possible.

For those with friends at the scene, ask them to take pictures of the collision, hazard, or vessel. If this isn’t applicable, don’t worry because your boat accident law firm will gather evidence in other ways.

Then, as soon as possible, contact a Florida boat accident lawyer so that they can start the process while you recover.

Proving Negligence and Determining Liability of a Boating Accident

As the claimant, your boat accident attorneys will need to prove that another party was responsible for your boating accident. By doing this, they’re also responsible for your injuries and damages. Once again, your boat accident lawyers will know the best way of achieving this.

For example, the other party must have had a duty of care towards you and breached this duty. From here, they must have caused your injuries and the associated damages. If The Injury Firm can prove all four of these steps, you may receive some of the following damages as compensation:

• Existing medical bills
• Future medical bills
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage
• Loss of companionship
• Funeral expenses
• Emotional distress
• Loss of consortium

The Injury Firm's boat accident lawyers will file your claim whether this is a negligence claim or even a product liability claim. In most cases, our expert negotiation skills lead to an early positive outcome for our clients. If the insurance company doesn’t meet our expectations with compensation, our resources mean that we can take the legal case in front of a jury or judge.

Contact The Injury Firm today to recover damages after a boating accident!