The Law Offices of James G. Graver, P.A., represent Lake Worth area boating accident victims who have suffered injury due to another boater’s carelessness. Our Lake Worth lawyers secure full support for our clients so they can recover physically, emotionally, and financially and get back to sailing or boating as soon as possible.
We provide a free, no-obligation case consultation to all seriously injured victims. Contact us to schedule a confidential case review. It’s a chance to determine what your boating collision injury is worth and to find out how to hold boating insurance companies or a boating company fully liable.
How Can a Lake Worth Boating Accident Lawyer Help Me?
If your boating accident is minor and only involves property damage, our lawyers probably can’t change the outcome of your case by much. However, if a careless boater leaves you or a loved one with a serious injury, like a bone fracture or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), you could need another layer of protection from insurance adjusters.
When insurers see that hospital bills will be high, they try all the harder to avoid having to take the blame for what happened. They might try to find ways to point the finger of blame at you. They find doctors who will downplay how bad your injury is. These tactics are all used to try to get you to accept less in compensation than your injury is worth or to get you to give up on trying to secure any support at all.
Your lawyer is your safeguard against these tactics. Your lawyer fully investigates your case and presents the evidence that will force insurers to pay you the support you need to recover. Your lawyer then uses negotiating skills to maximize the settlement check you and your family receive.
Boating Accident Risks Along Lake Worth Waterways
Lake Worth boaters never run out of water when looking for a fun time out on the Lake Worth Lagoon or out in the Atlantic. They can also enjoy watersports on Lake Osborne and Lake Clarke. The views and the sunshine can’t be beat, but unfortunately, the behavior of other boaters can ruin your day.
Boaters piloting other watercraft can get careless or reckless, or even be drunk while speeding near your boat. They can ram your boat or hit someone while they are swimming and cause devastating and sometimes tragic accidents.
According to figures from Florida’s Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Palm Beach County was the third worst county for boating accidents in Florida in 2022. There were 49 boating accidents reported, leading to at least 21 injuries and two tragic deaths. Over $1,396,492 in property damage was recorded.
Many of these accidents occur because some boaters speed around Lake Worth shorelines completely unaware of the safety requirements they should fulfill before piloting a boat. They may not know that no child under 14 years old should be at the wheel. They may miss the fact that anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, must have a Boating Safety Education Identification Card to legally operate a boat in Florida. Not knowing or following local laws can lead to tragic watercraft accidents.
You learn more about Florida boating laws and get help with finding a boating safety class at the FWC website. There’s also information about when you are legally obligated to report your accident to local authorities.
Who Is Legally Responsible for Boating Accidents?
There may be many parties responsible for your boating accident. That means you’d want to file injury claims with the boat insurance companies of more than one person or business.
Your Lake Worth Boating Accident Lawyer would investigate each party that might owe you support. This can provide necessary assurances to victims. The more insurance policies to draw from, the more likely it is you can secure enough in compensation to cover every medical bill you have.
In a Lake Worth accident, these and other parties could be liable:
- A careless boat driver may be fully to blame after a reckless stunt or speeding caused a collision.
- A boat owner could also be liable, even if the owner wasn’t present at the time.
- A boat rental company might be liable for a problem that makes a boat or a jet ski go out of control. The business could also be on the hook if they lend a personal watercraft to an unsafe captain.
- A boat tour company may put passengers in an unsafe situation and allow them to get hurt.
- A marina owner might be liable if unsafe conditions around the dock, on a boardwalk, or in a building caused an injury. If a marina or dock is owned and operated by local government, Palm Beach County or Lake Worth City could also be liable.
What to Do After a Lake Worth Boat Crash
A boat accident report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department may clearly point out who caused a crash, but that doesn’t mean the at-fault party’s insurance company will automatically hand over support to victims.
You’ll need hard evidence to make sure an insurance adjuster can’t change the facts of the case and deny support. If you have a legal representative from The Law Offices of James G. Graver, P.A., handling your case, you’ll be able to focus on healing while your lawyer compiles all of the evidence.
However, to secure the best evidence available, you might have to collect some details right after your boat crash. If you are able to move and the scene is secure, try to gather this evidence:
- Contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department or the closest law enforcement office. Allow paramedics to check over all injured victims. Give officers a full report on what you saw as the crash occurred. They’ll be creating a boat accident report that can help you prove who was to blame.
- Get photos of all visible damage and all visible injuries. Show the entire scene.
- If you are hurt at a marina or a boat rental building, alert a manager as to what happened. Allow them to fill out an incident report.
- Talk to witnesses and get contact information. Witnesses may even be able to testify that a boater was behaving recklessly well before the accident.
- Don’t throw out valuable evidence like damaged property and bloody clothing.
- Schedule an appointment with your family doctor even if you’ve already been to the emergency room. The shock of a boat crash can mask the pain of a hairline fracture or head trauma. Allow your physician to examine all wounds. Follow the doctor’s recommendations.
- Contact a Lake Worth boating accident lawyer. You can find out what your case may be worth in a free case consultation. It’s important to speak to a lawyer before you speak to the at-fault party’s insurance provider. An insurance adjuster could try to get you to make a recorded statement and then try to twist what you said to hurt your case later. Allow your lawyer to handle all communications with insurance companies and corporate lawyers.
Compensation Available for Lake Worth Boat Collision Victims
A claim filed with the insurance companies involved would include a full list of every hardship victims have faced and will face. This is a critical step because anything left off won’t be eligible for compensation on a boat accident settlement check. It may become a bill or loss the victim and the victim’s family would have to cover.
Your lawyer will make sure you are seeking full compensation for these and other damages:
- Medical expenses now and in the future
- Support for a physical disability or disfigurement
- Support for the pain victims must cope with
- Support for the emotional distress victims are left with
- Reimbursement for lost income
- Property damage and money for a new boat
- Wrongful death claims. Families must seek full support if a careless act claims a loved one on or off the water. The at-fault party or parties would be responsible for burial costs, leftover medical bills, and emergency response fees. A lawyer can represent the entire family and seek support for the future when the deceased will no longer be able to provide financial help through a weekly paycheck.
Contact a Lake Worth Boating Accident Lawyer
Our firm knows how difficult it can be to deal with insurance companies after an accident. Especially at a time with you are dealing with or helping a loved one deal with serious injuries. Don’t do it alone. Allow the Law Offices of James G. Graver, P.A., to fight on your behalf to earn the full amount of compensation available for your losses.
We are committed to working to make sure that you have all of the resources available so that you can fully recover from your injury or loss without fear of going bankrupt. We will always work on a contingency basis and do not get paid unless you win.
Contact us to schedule your free boating accident case consultation today.
