Florida is the boating capital of the world with millions of boats on the water. Most people that own and operate boats have not taken any boating classes and are not experienced boating operators. In addition, many people that are operating a boat have been drinking alcohol that has impaired their ability to make good decisions and operate the boat safely. Most people that own boats buy insurance for those boats. That insurance usually covers liability for the boat owner’s negligent operation of the boat that causes injury to people on his boat or on other boats. If you are injured while riding on someone else’s boat typically the boat owner has done something negligent that caused your injury. Most of the time you can file a claim with that boat owner’s insurance company and settle the matter directly with the insurance company without ever filing suit. Even if you do file suit, you are not really out to get money from the boat owner that may or may not be a friend yours, you are simply trying to be reimbursed for your damages from the boat owner’s liability insurance company.
If a boat is being operated in a negligent manner and causes injury to you and you are operating or riding on a different boat, you can also file a negligence claim against liability insurance company for the boat owner that has acted negligently in causing your accident.
All boats are responsible for their wake. If you are on a boat and you are injured as a result of a wake caused by another boat, that other boat’s liability insurance company can be liable for your injuries.
If you are injured while boating, call Boyd Law, PA and ask about your legal rights when injured on the water. A boating accident is different than a car accident and it is not a good idea to hire a car accident lawyer when you should be hiring a boat accident lawyer.