What is the Most Common Cause of Boating Accidents?

Human error is the most common cause of boating accidents. Human error causes over 90 percent of all vehicle collisions, including boat accidents, in California. Since most boat accidents occur far from land, and far from the nearest available medical help, the injuries in these collisions are often extremely serious. The time delay also makes these injuries much harder to detect.

A Carlsbad personal injury lawyer can obtain substantial compensation for boat accident victims. This compensation normally includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Usually, a Carlsbad personal injury lawyer resolves these claims out of court, and on victim-friendly terms. A settlement is a final resolution. Instead of tying up court verdicts in appeals courts, when insurance companies settle cases, they write checks.

Operator Impairment

Many boating accident causes take root before the tortfeasors (negligent operator) even sets foot on the boat. Many operators are seriously impaired, and thus unable to make the fast, sound judgments that safe boating requires. Examples of operator impairment include:

• Distraction: Since most people safely multitask their way through the day at home, work, or school, they erroneously assume they can do the same thing behind the wheel. But safe boat operation requires intense concentration, especially if, as is usually the case, the operator doesn’t have much experience.
• Alcohol: To many people, boating and alcohol consumption go hand in hand. That’s especially true of boating accidents on major holidays, such as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Alcohol impairment matters are unusually complex, mostly because a Carlsbad personal injury lawyer can hold a third party, like a commercial alcohol provider, liable for damages in these cases.
• Medical Condition: Many people make boat plans months in advance. These plans include prepaid hotel rooms and boat rental. These people don’t let minor ailments, like colds and flu, derail these plans. These moderate illnesses inhibit driving abilities by up to 50 percent. Simply put, sick boaters are unsafe boaters.

Impairment-related boat accidents are premeditated boat accidents. People don’t suddenly become distracted, sick, or drunk. Because of this premeditation element, a Carlsbad personal injury lawyer is often able to obtain additional compensation in an impairment-related boat accident.

Aggressive Driving

Today’s watercraft are faster and more powerful than ever. The natural tendency is to push the operational limit and take full advantage of all this speed and power.

This tendency leads to aggressive boating, usually excessive speed. This form of aggressive boating increases the risk of a wreck and the force in a collision. Speed reduces reaction time. Speeding boaters can’t react quickly enough in a changing environment. Speed also multiplies the force in a collision between two objects, according to Newton’s Second Law of Motion.

Other kinds of aggressive boating include turning unsafely, failure to yield the right of way, and failure to properly avoid other boaters.

The operational differences between a car and a boat come into play as well. Many inexperienced boaters believe that, like cars, boats can turn sharply and stop quickly. But boats don’t have tires or brakes. They float. That difference could be deadly in many cases.

Rely on a Dedicated San Diego County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Carlsbad, contact the Pursley Law Firm. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.