Accident injury claims can come from anywhere, including spending time on the water. Despite boating being both an exciting and relaxing activity, people can still get hurt due to the negligence of others. However, given the unique nature of boating, certain injuries are more common.
Common Boating Accident Injury Claims
The following is a list of six of the most common accident injury claims that result from a boating accident:
1. Drowning. This should come as no surprise since boating occurs on the water. Despite the fact that people may know how to swim, drowning is still a common cause of death in boating accidents. People can be pulled under the water or suffer brain trauma before falling into the water, which makes swimming impossible. Add in the fact that many individuals ignore safety rules and don’t wear personal flotation devices, and it’s easy to see how drowning while boating are common accident injury claims.
2. Brain injuries. Brain injuries occur in boating accidents in two ways. The first is from oxygen deprivation when an individual is submerged underwater or exposed to significant amounts of carbon monoxide (for instance, from running engines when the boat is docked or idling). The second is from impact, such as being thrown against a wall or bulkhead during a collision with another vessel, structure or underwater obstruction.
3. Spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries can be the result of an impact, such as a boating collision, but they can also come from spinal compression. Compression usually occurs when the boat bounces up and down on the water due to impacts with the waves or wake from another vessel. A disk hernia is a common spinal compression injury.
4. Lacerations. Most boats move with an exposed propeller that spins at high speed. If a person gets too close to the propeller, or a boat driver isn’t paying attention to those in the water, a person can be struck by the fast moving propeller blades, causing deep lacerations. They might even suffer an amputation of an arm or leg.
5. Whiplash. Whiplash is an injury sustained to the neck as a result of a sudden shock that moves the head and body in a traumatic way. Despite often occurring in motor vehicles, whiplash is also a frequent injury in boating accidents.
6. Electrocution. Most boats have electrical systems and appliances that require a significant amount of electrical current. Poor maintenance and standing water make it easier for individuals to become electrocuted. Electrocution can cause the heart to lose rhythm (fibrillation), or the victim can suffer electrical burns.
If you have questions about boating accident injury claims, feel free to contact Williams & Williams, LLC online. We are here to answer your questions and provide the legal services you need.
