Most people who live in or move to Florida enjoy the sea and the sun. Both long-time residents and those who have just moved to Florida share a love for boating. There are about 2 million registered and non-registered boats in Florida. That’s a lot of potential accidents.
Some people seem to have a personality transplant when they captain a boat. There seems to be something about the sun, the waves and a sense of freedom that leads to reckless behavior. The only acceptable speed is as fast as possible. Marked boat lanes are for other people. A certain number of boaters are unable to be on a boat without a beer close at hand. People who really understand little about the rules governing boating, both governmental and those of the sea itself, create dangerous situations for others.
While all boaters should take a boating safety course, not all have done so. In fact, the person most likely to be involved in a Florida boating accident is a middle-aged or older man who goes out in a boat regularly, yet has never bothered to learn the most basic safety considerations. A large number of boating deaths and injuries are caused by someone falling overboard. Life jackets would prevent many of those deaths, yet many boats don’t have enough life jackets for each passenger. Even when there are life jackets on the boat, the captain may not wear one or require passengers to do so.
About 40% of boating accidents occur when two boats collide. Other common boating accidents involve passengers being tossed around the boat or thrown overboard because of a large wave or the wake caused by another vessel. Determining negligence in boating accident cases means proving two things. The first element to prove is that someone acted without reasonable care and the second element is that someone was hurt as a result of that negligence.
Anyone who has been injured in a boating accident would be advised to talk to a Personal Injury Attorney with experience with this type of accident. The Chappell Law Group represents personal injury victims in South-west Florida. Those who suffer because of the negligence of another should consult an experienced Personal Injury Attorney to learn about the options available.
