There is no better way to spend a beautiful day than to be out on the water. While nobody ever expects a boating excursion to take a turn for the worse, in some cases, accidents do happen. Oftentimes, these accidents could have been prevented, but a negligent individual was the direct cause. The most common type of boating accident occurs when two boats collide together, and it could have been another boat operator that was negligent and caused the collision. Whether you were a passenger or operator of the boat, you may be pursuing monetary compensation in a personal injury lawsuit if a careless party was directly responsible for your boating accident.
Some of the most common causes of boating accidents include, but are not limited to:
- Operator or passenger recklessness
- Operator inexperience
- Boating while under the influence
- Boating While Intoxicated
- Equipment failure
- Improper lookout
- Speeding
According to the United States Coast Guard, there were 4,463 boating accidents in the United States in one recent year. Out of these accidents, 2,903 individuals were injured and 701 were killed. One of the leading causes of fatalities in boating accidents is drowning and trauma. Even when wearing an approved flotation device, such as a lifejacket, boaters are still at risk of severe injury and death when involved in a major boat collision. Although it can be impossible to completely prevent these types of accidents from happening, boaters can take precautions by ensuring they only operate a watercraft if they have sufficient experience, and to avoid boating when poor weather conditions are in the forecast.
Some of the common types of boating accidents which result in injuries and claims for compensation may include:
- Cruise ship accidents
- Boat propeller accidents
- Jet ski accidents
- Passenger boat accidents
- Tug boat and barge accidents
If you are already working with an attorney regarding your boating accident, you’re likely in the waiting period now. Many injury victims wonder how long it will take for their cases to settle, but there is no simple answer to this. Personal injury lawsuits can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple years to finalize, depending on the complexity of the lawsuit and other details surrounding the case.
If you’re currently waiting for a boating accident lawsuit to finalize, keep in mind that you have other options. At USClaims, we offer pre-settlement funding, if a case is qualified for pre-settlement funding then we would purchase a portion of the proceeds of the anticipated court judgment or settlement for some cash now. USClaims only gets paid if a case is won or has reached a settlement! Apply now or call us today at 1-877-USCLAIMS to learn more.
