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Maryland Boat Accident Lawyer

Safe Boating is No Accident

Maryland Boat Accident InjuryA day on a boat can be relaxing and fun. But boating accidents can cause lifelong injury or even death. The Coast Guard reported that, in 2013, there were 4,062 accidents, including 2,620 injuries, 560 deaths, and $39 million in property damage. Additionally, 22 children under the age of 13 lost their lives while boating. Eight of them drowned, and 5 who drowned were not wearing a life jacket, the wearing of which is required by law.

In our state, the Maryland Natural Resources Police recorded 156 vessels involved in 127 accidents, with 65 cases of injuries and 14 fatalities. Maryland ranks number 9 in recreational boating accidents, and number 11 in fatalities nationwide. Open motorboats, personal watercraft, and cabin motorboats were the most-reported vessels in accidents (46 percent, 18 percent, and 17 percent, respectively).

These statistics are not numbers to be happy about.

Reasons for Boating Mishaps

Alcohol is the leading cause of boating fatalities, occurring in 16 percent of deaths. But boating accidents can also occur because of the following factors. Note how many involve “operator error”:

  • Reckless operation or inattentiveness
  • Operator inexperience
  • Excessive speed
  • Collisions with boats or other objects
  • Sinking
  • Machinery failure.

Liability in an Accident

In general, fault in a boating accident is assigned to the person whose actions caused or contributed to the incident. Any person operating a boat is obligated to act within a certain standard of care, which includes responsibility for all passengers and operating the boat in a safe and legal manner. Not to do so can be considered negligence. When this standard of care is neglected, the responsible party can be forced to pay damages to those who were injured due to his or her negligent actions.

The legal concept of negligence is four-fold:

  • The first aspect requires the plaintiff (victim) to show he was owed the duty of the exercise of care, meaning obeying boating laws and operating the vessel safely according to weather and other conditions.
  • The second aspect requires the plaintiff to show that there was a breach in the requisite care. This can include such things as operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
  • The third aspect requires the plaintiff to show that the breach of care directly caused the injuries. The plaintiff must prove that he or she would not otherwise have been injured.
  • The fourth aspect requires a plaintiff to show evidence of the damages. Damages that can be recovered include medical expenses, lost wages, loss of ability to earn, and so on.

Note that victims can be held partially liable if they were engaged in reckless behavior at the time of the accident.

Boating Regulations & Laws

Boat operators must follow strict regulations concerning personal flotation devices (PFDs). Given that an estimated 90 percent of boat drowning deaths occur without a life vest, this requirement is easy to understand. Each boat must carry a Coast Guard-approved life vest for every passenger of Type I, II, III, or V. All vessels that are 16 feet or longer must also carry a throwable life jacket (Type IV).

While adults are not required to wear their personal floatation devices (PFDs) at all times, most states require children under a certain age to wear a life vest at all times. The states that do not have life jacket laws are covered under a blanket federal law, which requires that children under the age of 13 who are on federal waterways must wear PFDs at all times.

In Maryland, all children under the age of 13 must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket of Type I, II, III, or V while on a recreational vessel under 21 feet long. Special regulations exist for children under the age of 4, as they are required to wear life jackets with the following features:

  • The jacket must firmly hold the child and include a strap that goes between the legs to fasten the jacket’s front to its back.
  • The jacket must have an inflatable headrest or high collar to hold the child’s head out of the water.
  • The jacket must include a web handle to ensure ready access to the child while he or she is in the water.

Accident reporting requirements are generally quite strict: when someone is killed or requires more than basic first aid or damage occurs to the boat, a report must be filed with the state boating administrator. Federal law requires that accidents resulting in damage over $2,000 must be reported, but many states have lower damage thresholds and require reporting of any boating accident within 48 hours for death, missing persons or severe injury and ten days when property or the vessel itself is damaged.

Boating Safely: Know Before You Go

Check out these links for more information regarding boating safety and regulations in Maryland:

Finally, remember the three “B”s of boating:

  • Boat safe.
  • Boat smart.
  • Boat sober.

Maryland Boat Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one were injured or killed due to a boating accident, you could be eligible for compensation to cover your injuries. Depending on liability and negligence factors, you could recover money associated with the treatment of your injuries, lost wages, wrongful death, or future medical care. If you’re interested in filing an accident claim, contact the law offices of Steven H. Heisler, a dedicated Baltimore wrongful death attorney, today or call him at (855) 396-2637. Steven H. Heisler has dedicated his legal practice to the representation of personal injury victims, including those hurt or killed in Maryland boating accidents. Contact him today for more information on whether your boating claim will hold water.

Attorney Steve Heisler

Steve Heisler decided in 1996 that he was going to focus his law practice exclusively on injury cases. Since then, he has been representing injured people against insurance companies, disreputable medical practitioners and Big Pharma, and doing it with compassion, honesty and level-headed rationality. [ Attorney Bio ]