Riverside Watercraft Accident
Attorneys
Watercraft accidents
are any accidents that occur on a
boat or a personal watercraft such
as a jet ski.
With
the amount of registered boats on
the water and the steady rise in the
use of personal watercraft,
California has one of the highest
accident rates in the country.
And
while many states have responded to
this increased traffic on the water
by instituting mandatory licenses
and certification programs,
California has not fallen suit. So,
it is up to each individual boat
driver and operator of a personal
watercraft to exercise the same
amount of care they do when they are
behind the wheel of a car.
Most
watercraft accidents involve
collisions with other boats or water
skiers, slip and falls on the boat,
sinking, and boat disappearance.
There are a variety of causes of
boating accidents but most are a
result of:
 |
A reckless or
careless operator |
 |
Excessive
speed |
 |
Operating the
vessel under the influence
|
 |
Boat
malfunction or product defect
|
 |
An
inexperienced (underage or
uneducated) operator |
According to the United States Coast
Guard there were 569 watercraft
accidents in California in 2006.
Of those, 42 resulted in fatalities.
Some boating accident statistics for
2006:
 |
2/3 of all
fatal boating accident victims
drowned – of those 90% were not
wearing a life jacket |
 |
8 out of
every 10 boaters who drowned
were using boats less than 20
feet in length |
 |
70% of
reported fatalities happened on
boats where the operator had not
received boating safety
instruction |
 |
Alcohol use
is the leading contributing
factor in fatal boating
accidents, accounting for nearly
20% of all reported fatalities |
 |
29 children
under the age of 12 lost their
lives while boating in the U.S.
in 2006 |
 |
Nearly twice
as many children drowned in 2006
than in 2005 |
 |
The most
common types of boats involved
in reported accidents were open
motorboats (45%), personal
watercraft (PWC) (24%) and cabin
motorboats (14%).
|
 |
A significant
increase was observed in the
number of reported fatalities
associated with the use of
canoes/kayaks (99) when compared
to 2005 (78). |
The experienced watercraft
accident attorneys at
Bisnar|Chase
have
the knowledge and resources to hold
negligence watercraft operators
responsible. Since 1978 we
have been helping people involved in
watercraft accidents recover
compensation for their injuries. We
can help you too.
Here's how to get in touch with us:
For Fastest Service Call:
1-866-310-5252
Contact Us using the Personal
Injury Lawyer Online Form
We’ll quickly answer your call,
carefully listen to your entire
story, lay out all of your available
options, and answer any questions
you have.
All
at no risk and no cost to you.
That’s right. Our consultations are
completely free. We’re here to help.
So call us now at 1-866-310-5252. |