If You Are Involved in a Boating Accident What is the First Thing You Should Do?
It’s summer and that means boating season in the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, every year boaters are killed or injured on the water in boating accidents due to inexperienced and/or reckless and negligent behavior. According to data from the U.S. Coast Guard in its 2021 Recreational Boating Statistics Report, there were 658 boating fatalities and an additional 2,641 non-fatal injuries nationwide in 2021. This translates to a fatality rate of 5.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. The property damage involved in these accidents totaled about $67.5 million.
What is the cause of most boating accidents?
According to the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics Report, the top 5 causes of recreational boating accidents were:
- Operator inattention
- Improper lookout
- Operator inexperience
- Machinery failure
- Excessive speed
If you or a loved one is ever injured in a boating accident, there are several steps you should take to ensure your medical needs are met and to protect your rights and recover the compensation that you deserve.
If You Are Involved in a Boating Accident What is the First Thing You Should Do?
- Call for emergency medical care
The first thing to do after a boating accident is to seek medical care. If you are seriously injured, you or someone else who is able should call for emergency medical help right away. If you are not injured, check on everyone else involved in the collision and call for help if they need medical attention.
Note: if you don’t call for help at the scene of the accident because no one seemed injured, you should schedule a medical evaluation with your primary care physician as soon as possible after the accident. This evaluation by a medical doctor is important because you may have symptoms start to show up after the accident and because you will need it in order to recover fair compensation from an accident claim.
- Get everyone to safety
Okay, back to the scene of the accident. If the boat is still stable and floating and you are physically capable, help anyone thrown into the water back onto the vessel. If this isn’t possible, throw safety gear to anyone in the water to help them float until help arrives.
- Contact the Coast Guard
Next, contact the Coast Guard to report the accident and ask for help. The Coast Guard is equipped to help out in all sorts of boating accident situations as long as they are provided with the location of the boat and the severity of the crash. Once you have talked to the Coast Guard, you must stay in the same location so they can find you.
The Coast Guard is in charge of creating an accident report that outlines what happened in the accident and they will do this by gathering evidence from the scene. They may take pictures and talk to passengers, boat operators and witnesses. Insurance companies will want a copy of this report to help determine fault for the accident so be as helpful and honest as possible without admitting fault for any part of the accident.
- Gather evidence and exchange information
It’s a good idea to take your own pictures at the scene including any property damage, visible injuries, safety gear, and the area around the boats. If there is anything like empty beer cans that can show the other operator may have been intoxicated, take a picture of that as well.
In addition, it is very important to exchange information with the other boat operator(s) and passengers who were involved in the collision and witnesses who saw the collision. Ask the other boat operator if they have boat insurance and either write down the information or take a picture of their card.
- Seek the help of a boat accident lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured in a boating collision because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced boat accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
