Florida Boaters Encouraged to Take Extra Safety Precautions This Summer

With summer officially underway, boaters, swimmers, and anyone else who plans to spend some time near the water are being encouraged to take strict safety precautions. This is especially important for those visiting or living in Florida, which leads the country in registered recreational water vessels. Unfortunately, the sheer number of water vessels in Florida (over one million) make boating accidents a very real risk this summer, where victims could end up suffering a wide range of devastating injuries, including everything from head trauma and lacerations to electrocution and drowning.

How Common Are Boating Accidents? 

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there were 659 reportable boating accidents in Florida in 2023. These accidents led to at least 408 injuries and tragically, 59 deaths. The majority of those accidents took place in July and between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Approximately 182 of last year’s boating accidents involved a collision with a fixed object, while another 180 involved a collision between vessels. Other common accident types included:

• Flooding and swamping;
• Falls overboard;
• Falls onboard boats;
• Falls on a personal water carrier;
• Grounding;
• Striking an underwater object;
• Fires and explosions; and
• Capsizing.

Frustratingly, many of these injuries could have been avoided if the parties involved had taken proper water safety precautions.

Common Boating Accident Causes 

It’s easy to forget that a boat is a vehicle when out on the water, but the reality is that these vessels require careful operation and maintenance, just like any other motorized vehicle. Those who fail to take these precautions put themselves, and others, at risk of serious injury. Most accidents can be attributed to:

• Driver intoxication;
• Driver inexperience;
• Inclement weather;
• Distracted boaters; and
• Improper maintenance.

To avoid being the cause of a boating accident, boaters and personal watercraft operators should be sure to:

• Have the requisite safety gear on board (i.e. fire extinguisher, life jackets, flares, and a first aid kit);
• Undergo safety training;
• Conduct regular maintenance;
• Avoid high risk behaviors, like drinking alcohol or speeding;
• Keep their vessels in familiar waters; and
• Avoid operating their boats at night.

While taking these steps won’t guarantee that a boater won’t be involved in an accident, it can go a long way towards preventing serious and potentially fatal injuries.

Call Today for Help With Your Boating Accident Claim 

If you were injured in a boating accident because of someone else’s negligence, you could be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, disability, property damage, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Filing these types of claims can, however, be complicated, which is why accident victims are so often encouraged to reach out to an attorney for an evaluation of their claim before initiating a lawsuit. For help determining whether you have a valid legal claim, please call the experienced Florida personal injury lawyers at Boone & Davis today. You can reach us by calling our office at 954-566-9919 or by sending us an online message.

Sources:

myfwc.com/media/u4rn1xoq/2023-basr-rba.pdf

wusf.org/local-state/2024-06-10/florida-reports-the-nations-most-boating-accidents-the-keys-lead-the-state