Are You Prepared For A Boating Accident?
Corbin Sutter
Personal Injury
It's no surprise that Florida has a lot of boats. As one of the warmest states in the country, with more than its fair share of sunshine and mild weather, its mostly coastal geography gives it a huge advantage. There are more places to enjoy boating all year round in Florida than any other state in the USA.Unfortunately, this also means that with more boating activity than any other state, Florida also has the highest rate of boating accidents in the country. Here's what you should know about accidents if they occur to you in a boat in Florida.
Collisions Are #1
When it comes to boating accidents, they can happen in various ways, including people getting into trouble if they ignore storm warnings. However, as with traffic on the road, the most common cause of boating accidents in Florida is usually one boat colliding into another.
Over 100 such accidents regularly occur on Florida shores, so boat operators should always be mindful of the other boats in the water.
Bays & Sounds Are Danger Zones
In keeping with coat collisions being the most common cause of boating accidents, the most common location for boating accidents is Florida's bays and sounds. It's pretty easy to see why these areas are more accident-prone than others. A bay or a sound is usually where docks are located, so the traffic of boats leaving a bay/sound or returning to it is high.
This means that bays and sounds are similar to traffic intersections, with a lot traffic in different directions. However, there are no lanes or other dividers at sea, meaning that caution and alertness are even more important.
Most Injuries Aren't Too Severe
The most common injury to occur in boating accidents is, fortunately, not too serious. Cuts and scrapes top the boating injuries list, with bruises coming in second, followed by fractures and head injuries. This is mainly because most boats aren't traveling at the high speeds that cars are.
Even when collisions do occur, often people are safely away from the point of impact, and there's no sustained contact. A head-on collision between two cars, for example, can injure or kill people in the vehicles. Boating accidents don't usually have this kind of steep angle of interception.
Drowning Is The Most Common Form Of Death
It should come as no surprise that when fatalities do occur in boating accidents, it's usu-ally drowning that is the cause of death. Boats, once they leave the shore, are often in ocean waters. Between the distances involved and other factors such as currents—or, in rare cases, the presence of sharks—any accident that knocks someone into the water creates huge amounts of risk. Even a strong swimmer may be in trouble if the boat is too far away from shore.
If you've been in a boating accident where the other boater was the cause of the accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation, especially if injuries that left you unable to work—or even deaths—were the result. Talk to an experienced boating accident lawyer to find out what your options are.