Boat Accident Litigation

Boating is an enjoyable and thrilling recreational activity that can be risky. If negligence leads to an accident the victims and their families may be entitled to compensation for injuries and loss.

A NYC boat accident lawyer can help injured victims demand the full amount of damages they deserve. A claim is an obligation to pay for medical expenses as well as other financial damages.

Damages

While many people associate bodies of water with the Wild West in the United States There are laws that govern the vessels on lakes and rivers as well as oceans. Boat accidents can trigger multiple federal and state laws which are weighed in determining if negligence took place. If a old town Boat accident lawsuit driver is drunk, they could be liable for negligence. Federal laws also deal with pollution and deaths at sea. There are also maritime regulations, like the Jones Act, that provide injured workers and their families with a similar compensation pathway to other industries.

If a loved one died in a fatal boat accident, the family can sue to recover damages, including loss of companionship and funeral expenses. They can also sue for pain and suffering. Families can also recover money to pay medical bills in the past and future costs for treatment.

A New York City boat accident lawyer can assist you to determine if you or your loved one was injured during a boating accident. An attorney for personal injuries can look over your insurance policy and the responsible party's policies on alpine boat accident lawyer liability to determine the type of compensation you may be entitled to in a settlement or a verdict. A lawyer with experience can also assess if there are other parties who may be responsible, for instance the manufacturer or part of the boat that was defective.

Liability

In general, boaters who are injured seek damages to recover medical expenses (past and future) and lost income due to absence from work emotional trauma, as well as pain and suffering. Injuries that are serious include neck and back injuries as well as brain traumas, fractured bones and internal organ damage.

Boating accidents usually involve multiple parties who could have legal responsibility for the accident, including the vessel's operator, any passengers on board at the time of the incident, other boats and watercraft involved in the collision, the makers of the boats and their parts or engines and even the government agencies that are responsible for putting up buoys that warn of the dangers of conditions. A personal injury lawyer is aware of the details of both state law and federal maritime laws to determine who could be responsible in a collision.

Under the Jones Act a worker on a vessel who is injured at sea has the same rights as workers compensation beneficiaries. Similar to that, sailors who are injured in international waters or outer continental shelf waters are entitled to submit claims under the Jones Act as well as other maritime regulations of the federal government. Families and maritime workers who have been injured as well as the relatives of sailors who died have rights under state workers' compensation laws.

Gathering Evidence

The evidence gathered in the beginning stages of the legal process can help determine the strength of your case. For instance, taking photos of the scene of the accident can be useful in determining the extent of responsibility as well as establishing how the boating collision happened. It is also important to obtain information from eyewitnesses since they can offer valuable evidence which can back up your claims.

Medical records are vital for understanding the severity of your injuries and the damage that resulted from it. They should contain detailed details of hospital and doctor visits, surgeries, rehabilitation treatments as well as the expenses associated with them. You should document changes in your income and employment capacity, as as any other non-financial loss.

Boat accidents are often related to brain and spinal cord injuries. The injuries in this category can be caused by oxygen deprivation, carbon monoxide poisoning or blunt force trauma that results from hitting the head on areas such as the propeller or the side of the boat. Often, these injuries are life-changing.

Other forms of marine injury result from mechanical issues, such as electrical or engine problems, steering system malfunction and gear shift problems. In these cases our NYC lawyer for boating accidents will determine if the manufacturer should be held responsible for injuries suffered by accident victims.

The process of filing a claim

It is important to seek medical attention as soon as you notice a boating accident. However, you should consult with a lawyer prior to giving an admission to the insurance adjuster or another party. A lawyer can help protect your rights and ensure that you get the compensation you are entitled to for the damages you have suffered.

In order to seek compensation following a boating accident you must make an insurance claim or an action against the party(ies) responsible. This typically involves presenting evidence to support a claim for economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages include medical expenses and other expenses incurred as a result of the accident, which includes loss of income due to missing work. Noneconomic damages include pain, suffering, and other types of intangible loss that is difficult to quantify.

In some instances the maker of a vessel or one of its components could be held responsible for an accident if their product was defectively created or manufactured. A New York boating accident lawyer will investigate the possibility of product liability and seek compensation from the parties responsible.

In some instances there are instances where it is not only the operator of a vessel who may be held liable for the event of a crash. Owners of vessels can be held accountable, especially when they are responsible for the hiring and training of the person who operates their vessel, or when a person who is not fit to operate a boat is allowed to use their property.