You wake up and look outside and say to yourself, “Oh! What a beautiful, beautiful day. Time to go boating.” Fortunately and unfortunately, you are not the only one thinking like this. Every city, state, and place has a lake, river, or any place where a person can go boating is crowded with boating enthusiasts. More people means more boats, which means more cause of most fatal boating accidents.
The funny thing is that these accidents are not even considered fatal. If you ask someone who does not go boating or has any experience with the boating accident, they will have absolutely no idea. They might even express amazement when they come to know about this information.
One by one, we will discuss the causes of most fatal boating accidents to prevent them better and guide someone else. This knowledge will affect the one who holds it and the loved ones around them. So, without further ado, let’s know the cause of most fatal boating accidents.
What Categories as a Fatal Boating Accident?
These common types qualify as fatal boating accidents and sometimes can cause a boating accident death. Usually, these kinds of accidents include vessel loss, property damage, injuries, missing individuals, and even death. These typical accidents include but are not limited to:
- A fatality while swimming to a floating vessel or boat
- A casualty or damage caused by a collision with a boat or its parts
- Explosion or burning during docking or operation
- Two boats colliding
- Accidents that occur while towing (wakeboards, water skis, etc.)
- A passenger plunging overboard
- The ship is sinking or capsizing
- A person who is floating
When you read the above mentioned scenarios, you can not imagine them as fatal enough to cause most fatal boating accidents. But all these probabilities have the potential to be fatal, and there is no denying it. These fatal boating accidents can be avoided by knowing and following simple safety procedures and protocols. To make you understand more transparently, drowning is the most common fatal boating accident casualty in boat accidents.
If the passengers follow simple PFD protocols by wearing life vests, drowning can be avoided or delayed until help arrives. Moreover, the law states that every boat should have at least one life-saving vest (USCG approved) concerning one passenger traveling in that boat. Having life vests on board and wearing them dramatically increases passengers’ chances of survival in the unwanted event of an accident.
Causes of Fatal Boating Accidents and Prevention
Accidents involving boats have increased due to the growing popularity of local leisure opportunities. In the event of a maritime mishap and to establish responsibility for transportation, the following are some of the most essential contributing variables to consider.
Operational Error
No matter how small, the captain of a boat is ultimately accountable for the well-being of everyone on board, as well as anyone else in the sea or on any other vessels. Many boaters (especially novices) incorrectly assume that boating is more manageable than driving a car, so they don’t take the precautions or get the training they need to get out on the water safely.
When the operator isn’t skilled, they may run into obstacles, put other boaters and swimmers in danger, or not pay enough attention to the weather.
Improper Observation
The operator must either appoint extra look-outs while operating the boat or ensure everyone else on board is safe. Therefore, this element often goes hand in hand with Operator Error.
Having swimmers or water skiers in the water without first making sure they are safe from being hit by their vessel or drowning due to the negligence of another is an example of an improper observation. Ensuring the boat has the correct flags and everyone on board knows how to use them is also part of this.
Operator and Passengers' Intoxication
Driving a boat while impaired by drugs or alcohol is not only dangerous for other people on the water, it’s also unlawful and can have fatal consequences. However, it is not just the boat’s captain who should be mindful of and adhere to sobriety regulations.
Intoxicated passengers pose a more significant threat due to increased chances of slips, falls, and drowning. The most important thing you can do to ensure everyone’s safety while on the lake this summer is to ensure you and your passengers are not impaired.
Speeding
As we all know from experience behind the wheel, there is no safe speed on the road. As our speed increases, our reaction times drop, and we cannot safely negotiate hazards such as other boats, swimmers, and changes in the water’s surface and surroundings.
One of the most common causes of fatal boat accidents is operator negligence in observing stated limitations (or navigation rules), which is easily avoidable by just going more leisurely.
Mechanical Issues
Injuries and fatalities can occur when a boat’s machinery fails for several reasons, including but not limited to manufacturing flaws and operator error. The boat can halt unexpectedly, miss its turn, slam into an obstruction or another vessel, sink, or even catch fire.
A malfunctioning boat can keep you trapped for a lengthy amount of time, depending on the magnitude of the surface of the water you are on. Some mechanical failures are inevitable, but others can be avoided with just a bit of TLC in the form of regular maintenance, quality control checks, and inspections.
Types of Injuries in Fatal Boating Accidents
Injuries sustained in a watercraft accident can be severe enough to risk a person’s life. Injuries suffered in a fatal boat accident most frequently include:
Drowning: Even if a drowning victim is rescued, they may suffer permanent brain damage. Brain damage can occur after even a brief period of hypoxia or when the brain is deprived of oxygen.
Bone Fractures: Bone fractures are common in accidents involving falls, crashes, and being thrown overboard.
Brain Injury: There are multiple pathways to a traumatic brain injury following a boating accident. They might tumble overboard and strike their head, or they might drown and lose oxygen to their brain. A traumatic brain injury can have life-altering effects regardless of what caused it.
Spinal Cord Injury: Accidents involving colliding boats or falls aboard the vessel can result in spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries are highly harmful and frequently result in lifelong impairments.
Amputation Injuries: Propeller blades are a common cause of amputations sustained in boating accidents.
What to Do After a Serious Boating Accident
The following are critical procedures to take after something becomes a cause of most fatal boating accidents.
Count the people: Check the surroundings to see if anyone has gone overboard and needs to be reported missing. Throw a life jacket, life preserver, or other buoyancy gear to the person tossed overboard. Having another swimmer try to save them increases the risk of drowning.
First Aid: If somebody needs medical assistance, you should try to assist them as best you can while you wait for help to arrive. Also, inspect the other boat (if another one was involved in the accident) to see if the people on board require immediate medical attention.
Exchange information: Communicate with the people on the other boat to find their vessel’s name and registration number. You will need the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all passengers, as well as any witnesses.
Take some pictures: Take pictures of any injuries or damage done to the boat.
Make a report: You must report the boat accident to the Coast Guard and any other local or state agency.
Should I Get a Boat Accident Attorney?
Contact a boating accident lawyer immediately after receiving medical attention for your injuries. You may be eligible for damages after a boating accident caused by someone else’s carelessness. A boat accident case involving several parties can be complex and challenging to navigate without legal help.
When you choose Los Angeles Lawyers for your personal injury case, your lawyers will look into what went wrong and gather evidence in your favor. They will also negotiate with insurance companies to ensure you are fairly compensated for your injuries.
Next, Hire a Personal Injury or Wrongful Death Lawyer
If you were hurt due to the boat driver’s carelessness, you should consult a personal injury lawyer in Michigan. You may have a case against the boat’s operator, the manufacturer (if a faulty part was to blame), the rental company, or even another passenger, depending on the specifics of your situation. A personal injury lawyer can help you discover who was at fault for your injuries and take legal action against them.
The survivors of a boating accident or the family of the victim whose death was caused by the carelessness of another may seek compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit. Spouses, children, parents, and grandparents can all file wrongful death lawsuits for a loved one who has passed away. You may be compensated if you or a loved one has been killed in a boating accident.
Damage Recovery After a Fatal Boating Accident
While no amount of money can compensate for the loss of a loved one, the compensation your family receives can assist in lessening the financial strain caused by the tragedy. Los Angeles Lawyers has successfully obtained monetary and non-monetary compensation for the families of those killed in accidents.
Financial Losses
The monetary losses you’ve incurred due to a loved one’s wrongful death are known as economic damages. These losses are quantified in terms of money since they represent lost resources. Common types of monetary damages awarded to families in cases of wrongful death include:
- Treatment Costs
- Reduced pay
- Benefits lost
- Costs related to a funeral and burial
Collateral Losses
Non-monetary damages are also available in cases of bodily harm and wrongful death. These losses cannot be quantified in dollars and cents, yet they should still be compensated. In a criminal death litigation, the family may be awarded non-monetary damages such as:
- Suffering and agony
- Mental suffering
- Separation anxiety
- Life dissatisfaction
Careful Boat Handling
Many potential tragedies on the water can be prevented with careful navigation. Drug or alcohol use, reckless boat operation, or careless behavior by other passengers are all common causes of drowning at sea.
This trauma and disaster can be prevented if the vessel’s driver knows how to operate the boat responsibly, is familiar with vessel law, and knows how to keep themselves and their passengers safe.
Once again, let’s look at the cause of most fatal boating accidents so you don’t read the name of your loved one in the section where a man dies in boating accident.
- A boat driver who was not paying attention
- A driver who has been drinking or using drugs
- Failures of the equipment
- Poor weather
- Boat drivers with no experience
- Racing the speed limit
- Too many people on boats
- Not keeping an eye out for dangers
- Disobeying Maritime Regulations
- Driving without care
To Wrap It Up
Take care and know what you’re doing to avoid accidents and deaths on the water. No matter how much you know about boats, knowing safety rules and the law can save your life. Help from many states can keep boaters from getting into trouble. You won’t have to call for help and be the cause of most fatal boating accidents if you don’t go too fast in no-wake zones. Check the weather report before boating, discuss safety rules with your guests, and ensure your boat is ready. If you or your loved one become involved in a boating accident in any unfortunate turn of events, then remember, Los Angeles Lawyers have your back. Contact Now!
FAQs
Collisions with other vessels or objects are the type of boating emergency that causes the most fatalities.
The main cause of boating fatalities is typically drowning, often due to not wearing life jackets.
Capsizing is the boating emergency that causes the most fatalities.
The major cause of fatal boating accidents is operator inattention or inexperience.
Most boating accidents occur in open areas of rivers and lakes.
