What to Do if You Are Involved in a Boating Accident

Knowing how to act after a boating accident could help save someone’s life. It can also help protect your legal rights to pursue compensation.

Put Safety First

The first step is to make sure that everyone is safe and if someone needs medical attention, providing it or contacting emergency services immediately. Some steps include:

• If the boat is still afloat and you are still aboard, check to see if you need medical attention, or if anyone else does.
• Help anyone who has fallen overboard back onto the boat if possible.
• If the vessel is sinking or has broken apart, find some floating debris to hold onto and signal for help. You should be wearing a life jacket or have one accessible at all times.
• If you and everyone else are still on the boat, first move it out of the path of other vehicles, then provide first aid to anyone who is injured.
• If your boat was involved in a collision, check to see if anyone aboard another vessel needs assistance. Never leave the scene of a boating accident.

Reporting the Accident

All boating accidents need to be reported immediately to ensure timely medical attention and detailed accident reports. An accident report is required under federal law if someone is killed, injured badly enough to require medical attention, or disappears from the vessel, or if property damage exceeds $2,000 or a vessel is completely lost or destroyed. Offer accurate, necessary information, but do not speculate about the cause of the accident, accept responsibility, or offer any apologies. This could jeopardize the accident investigation and your potential injury claim.

• Contact the local authorities immediately to let them know an accident has occurred, along with your location and what medical assistance is required.
• If you are the owner or operator of one of the vessels involved, notify your insurance company of the accident, regardless of who was at fault.

Collect Evidence

When you are sure everyone involved is okay and not in any immediate danger, start collecting information from individuals aboard the other vessels and any eyewitnesses to the accident. This should include the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the boat operators involved and any passengers aboard any of the vessels. You will also need to gather contact information for witnesses, registration numbers of the vessels, and the insurance companies and policy numbers of anyone involved in the wreck.

• Get checked by a doctor as soon as possible after the accident, even if you don’t believe you were seriously injured. Shock can mask symptoms of injury.
• Take photographs of the damage to vessels involved and the location where the accident occurred.

Filing a Claim for Compensation

If your boating accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may have a claim for compensation against the at-fault party. Your best chance of recovering full and fair compensation is to have a Colorado Springs personal injury attorney by your side.

At The Bussey Law Firm, P.C., we put our clients first. We protect their rights, advise them of their best options, and employ customized legal strategies to meet their needs. Attorney Timothy Bussey has been named among the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers, listed among Colorado Super Lawyers®, and rated AV® by Martindale-Hubbell®.

If you have been injured in a boating accident, call us at (719) 475-2555 to schedule a free consultation. We can tell you if you have a case and what damages you may be entitled to claim.

The post Steps to Take After a Boating Accident appeared first on Colorado Springs Attorneys.

1. Check the weather before heading out.  Look at the local forecast as part of planning your trip. If you notice darkening clouds, rough or changing winds, or a sudden drop in temperature while on the water, head for the dock.
2. Use a pre-departure checklist to make sure your boat is shipshape and no safety measures or equipment have been overlooked.
3. Boat defensively.  Just as you drive so as to avoid getting hit, boat in the same way.  Steer a wide course around bigger craft that cannot stop or turn as easily, and pay attention to all buoys and other navigational aids.
4. File a float plan.  Make sure someone else knows where you’re going and how long you plan to be on the water.  Local marinas and Coast Guard stations make it easy for boaters to file float plans – or you can inform a responsible friend or family member.
5. Leave the alcohol on shore.  The risk of a boating accident doubles when one or more of the people involved have been drinking.  Save your alcohol for when you’re safely back on shore.

If you’re injured in a boating or other recreational accident this summer, the experienced Colorado boat accident lawyers at The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. can help you protect your legal rights.  Contact us today for a free and confidential consultation.

The post Five Top Tips for Colorado Boating Safety appeared first on Colorado Springs Attorneys.

• Buy and wear life jackets. Personal flotation devices (PFDs) can help boaters and operators of personal watercraft survive an accident in which they are flung into the water, even if they are knocked unconscious or become otherwise incapable of keeping themselves afloat. Bring the proper life jackets for every member of your boating party and wear them – no matter how strong your swimming skills are.
• Know the weather and the water. Check the weather report before heading out onto the water, and examine the water before heading out in your boat. Know the approximate depth, what major obstacles may be hidden under the water, and the expected strength of currents.
• Avoid alcohol while boating. Boating while under the influence of alcohol is not only dangerous, it’s also a crime in Colorado. Save alcoholic drinks for when you and your party are safely ashore.
• “Teak surfing” is more dangerous than you think. “Teak surfing,” in which swimmers hang onto the back of a moving boat, is dangerous not only because the swimmer is exposed to the motor and other dangers, but because carbon monoxide from the boat’s motor can suffocate a swimmer.

If you’re injured in a boating accident this summer, an experienced Colorado injury attorney may be able to help you protect your legal rights and seek compensation.

The post Four Tips For Boating Safety This Summer appeared first on Colorado Springs Attorneys.