Boating can be a particularly fun activity for anyone seeking some adventure in New York. It’s also gaining in popularity - there’s now a recreational boating program put in place by NYC’s Department of Energy Protection.
Sailing around the city and even further north into the state can be a joy, but it’s also an activity where caution is required. If someone operates their vessel negligently or fails to follow basic safety regulations, accidents and injuries become a major possibility. When that happens, where do you turn?
Morgan & Morgan’s boating accident attorneys in New York have expert knowledge, not only of local boating accident laws but of maritime law as well. The complex little details that make or break cases like these are of the utmost importance, so it’s crucial to have someone by your side who understands them. As a result, we have helped our clients receive compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
Personal injury cases in New York generally have a 3-year statute of limitations, but building cases can take time. Don’t hesitate to contact us and find out if you have a case and are entitled to compensation. If you want to learn more, fill out our free, no-obligation case review form.
What Boating Accident Claims Do We Handle?
The boating accident claims that we handle often involve someone else’s negligence or recklessness. Negligence in a boating accident would be when someone acts in a careless or irresponsible manner, a manner that another boat operator in the same situation would not reasonably act. An example of negligent boating could be operating the vessel at too high a speed.
Recklessness is a more extreme form of negligence. Reckless operating is willfully disregarding basic safety as opposed to simple ignorance. The most notable example of this would be someone operating their boat while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Some other examples of negligence include:
- Overcrowding or loading the boat;
- Failing to carry basic safety equipment;
- Navigating in heavy or inclement weather;
- Collisions with other boats;
- Collisions with fixed objects;
- Defective equipment;
- Insufficient navigation lights, or lack thereof; and
- Speeding during a large wave.
How A New York Attorney Can Help You
Our combination of understanding local boating laws, such as New York’s laws regarding reckless operation of a vessel, and the work we put into building cases and proving negligence has helped us win cases for previous clients, and it might be able to help you too.
When determining whether you have a case and how much compensation you could be eligible to receive, our attorneys conduct a thorough investigation of your accident, to present an accurate representation of how you were injured by someone else’s negligence.
This investigation can involve:
- Investigating and photographing the scene of the accident;
- Reviewing your medical records;
- Interviewing eyewitnesses;
- Reviewing the driving history of the boating operator; and
- Consulting experts to help recreate the accident.
In taking the necessary steps of the investigation, we can build a case to present to a judge. Should the other party offer a settlement, we can help determine whether or not it’s a fair offer. If it isn’t, we will negotiate with them to try and get you better compensation. If these negotiations stall, our attorneys are experienced trial lawyers. We’re not afraid to take your case to a jury if that’s what it takes to get you what you’re entitled to.
What Can I Recover?
The specifics of your case - the details of the accident, how severe your injury is, etc. - are ultimately going to determine what you could be entitled to in a case. However, what you can be compensated for if your case prevails can often be put into several different categories.
These categories of compensation can include:
Medical bills: Should you win your case, you could be awarded compensation for medical bills you’ve had to pay as a result of your injury. This includes both past and future bills stemming from the injury, and can potentially cover expenses such as transport or in-home rehabilitation services.
Lost wages: Lost wages can be awarded if your injury has caused significant missed time at work, or has made you unable to perform your job. You could be entitled to even more lost wages if the injury leaves you permanently disabled and unable to find consistent work.
Pain and suffering: In some cases, the damages endured from physical pain and emotional suffering can be compensated to pay for therapy treatments.
Punitive damages: Punitive damages are awarded in more extreme cases, wherein the injury was caused by someone’s recklessness. They are awarded to try and dissuade the defendant and others from acting with that level of recklessness again.
Contact Morgan & Morgan
Have you or a loved one been injured in a boating accident in New York? You could be owed compensation for your damages, and we have the resources that may be able to help you. Contact us and fill out our case evaluation form, at absolutely no cost or obligation.