Boating Accident Lawyer Philadelphia

There were 21 deaths and 39 injuries resulting from boating accidents in Pennsylvania in 2014. From kayaks to large motorboats to houseboats, the lakes, ponds and rivers in the Philadelphia area offer almost limitless options for recreational boating. Unfortunately, sometimes weekend and holiday fun turns into tragedy thanks to drinking, speeding or negligence by people operating boats on our waterways. If you or a family member has been injured in a boating accident, take this opportunity to contact the Philadelphia-based boating accident lawyers at Brotherly Law. We’ve handled many personal injury claims and earned substantial compensation for our clients.

Causes of boating accidents

Of the 4064 accidents reported nationwide n 2014, the leading causes of boating accidents were:

• Capsizing (280)
• Skiing mishaps (292)
• Collision with a fixed object (452)
• Collision with another vehicle (937)
• Falling in the vessel (147)
• Falling overboard (281)
• Fires and explosions, including fuel- and non-fuel-based (263)
• Flooding or Swamping (463)
• Grounding (359)
• Being struck by a propeller (47) or
• By another vessel (31) and
• Drowning (418)

Open motorboats, personal watercraft, cabin boats, canoes, larger kayaks and pontoons are the principal types of vessels involved in fatal incidents. Motorboats lead the pack with 282 total deaths and 1390 total injuries.

Meanwhile, the top ten primary factors contributing to boating accidents are operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed, alcohol use, machinery failure, navigation rules violations, hazardous waters, weather and the force of a wave or wake.

Boating accidents often are associated with drinking, but alcohol use is only fifth on the list (with 277 accidents nationwide attributed to drinking and boating). Hazardous waters (185), weather (174) and force of wave/wake (153) are 8-10 on the list, which means that most boating incidents involve human failure, with operator inattention (563), improper lookout (431) and operator inexperience (391) leading the list of factors.

It’s not at the top of the list, but this means that alcohol use doesn’t contribute to a significant number of boating tragedies—248 injuries and 108 deaths nationwide in 2014. And if someone who was operating a boat while intoxicated has injured you, you may have a strong personal injury case.

Another – perhaps surprising – contributor to boating injuries and even deaths is the process of loading and unloading passengers or gear, which resulted in 158 accidents (nationwide) in 2014—75 injuries and 63 fatalities. Fifty-two deaths can be attributed to “improper loading” or “overloading” of the vessel.

Boating is often under-regulated, with young teens and even kids driving boats or riding jet skis and adults who think a six-pack or a keg is essential to a fun day on the water. Drunk, inexperienced, distracted and speed-crazed boating leads to far too many accidents, injuring not just the person driving the boat, but passengers, water skiers and passengers on other vessels, when accidents involve collisions. If you’ve been injured by a boat operator, Brotherly Law’s attorneys can help you find these negligent operators responsible for your injuries or other damages.

Philadelphia Boating Injury Lawyers Can Help

Even if you dread the idea of suing, sometimes taking legal action is the only way to get the compensation you deserve for your injuries, pain, medical expenses, time lost from work and costs related to long-term disability.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an accident on the Delaware River, Blue Marsh Lake, Marsh Creek Lake, Bucks County or one of the many other recreational areas in Eastern Pennsylvania or Southern New Jersey, we’d like to hear from you. We also represent family members who have lost loved ones in boating accidents in wrongful death suits.

Helping clients is our top priority and we take many cases on a contingency basis, which means our fees are based on the settlement you receive when you win your case. Brotherly Law’s Philadelphia personal injury lawyers Austin R. Freundlich, Esq. and Gregory C. Littman, Esq. have handled hundreds of personal injury claims, but we still treat each new client with respect. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a boating accident, call or contact us online today for a free consultation at (215) 545-8500.