Have you or someone you care about been injured in a recreational boating or jet ski accident? To recover damages — including coverage of your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages — you’ll need the services provided by a personal injury law firm.
The most common types of boating accidents — or watercraft accidents, including jet skis and pontoon boats — are collisions with other watercraft, collisions with fixed objects (like docks, channel markers, and other buoy devices), flooding/swamping, grounding, and skier accidents.
These accidents are commonly caused by alcohol/drug use, operator inattention, careless/reckless operation, operator inexperience, excessive speed, hazardous waters, passenger/skier behavior, machinery system failure, and bad weather.
To recover damages for injuries sustained in a boating accident, you and your lawyer will need to prove that negligence occurred. Some of the factors to consider include the speed of the boat at the time of the injury, whether the operator was inebriated, if proper lighting was used, the seaworthiness of the boat, if the right number and kinds of flotation devices were on board, whether or not the driver taken required boating safety courses, and whether any other laws were broken.
The team at Cochran, Kroll & Associates P.C. is ready to go to work for you to prove your case, and recover the damages you need and deserve.
Meeting your burden of proof in a personal injury lawsuit begins with collecting evidence.
Assemble all photographs you have of the accident, the boat, the driver, point of impact, or anything else that shows damage. Include photos of beer/liquor bottles or drug paraphernalia if such photos are available.
If the boating accident was serious, there will be a Coast Guard report. This report may reference important safety violations and other information that can support your claim.
Get the names and contact information of other boat passengers, and ask them what they saw or heard, and what they think caused the accident.
When filing a personal injury claim, you’ll need all your medical bills and records. If you aren’t taken directly to a hospital and/or treated by an Emergency Medical Technician on site, get a medical evaluation as soon as possible after the accident. Refusing or delaying medical treatment will undermine your claim.
The experienced personal injury attorneys and other professionals at Cochran, Kroll & Associates P.C. will be able to assemble critical evidence, interview witnesses, and discover other information — such as the alcohol or drug test results, the assets of the boat owner, and all personal and commercial insurance coverage — that will make your case.
Contact us toll-free today (24 hours) at 866-466-9912 or use our convenient online contact form.
