Personal Watercraft Accidents

With over a million personal watercraft in use today, the number of personal watercraft accidents is at an all time high. Fun activities and water sports such as waterskiing, wake-boarding, swimming, jet skiing and using a personal water craft have become extremely popular pastimes on the nation’s waterways. Unfortunately, with so many people using these devices, many of them inexperienced or intoxicated, roughly 5,000 personal watercraft accidents happen every year; involving over 2,000 injuries and close to 100 deaths. What are your rights in personal watercraft accidents?

Liability in Personal Watercraft Accidents

First and foremost, you have a right to operate your personal watercraft or boat safely in our nation’s waterways. You shouldn’t have to worry about inexperienced or intoxicated individuals causing personal watercraft accidents by crashing into you, causing you to tip over or be literally mowed down in the water.

Unfortunately, the laws relating to watercraft vessels are extremely complex. They require an intensive knowledge of specific state laws governing boating accidents, and they also require expertise with maritime law and international waterway laws. Determining liability and legal action if you’ve been injured in a personal watercraft accident requires the expertise of a savvy lawyer.  Visit the Dallas personal injury attorneys at Parker McDonald, P.C. website for more information on what to do if involved in an accident.

Jet Ski Accidents and Other High Speed Personal Water Crafts

Jet skis and other high-speed personal water crafts are small, fun, fast and inexpensive. As a result, they’ve been adopted by more and more people annually as a fun pastime. These quick, nimble watercraft can be extremely dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced, negligent or intoxicated driver. Jet Skis make up only 6.5% of boating vessels owned in the United States, but they’re involved in 55.6% of collisions and 33% of overall accidents. This is a disproportionate number given the quantity of Jet Skis to boats.

A Jet Skier is 7.2 times more likely to get hurt than a motor boater, and the injuries can be severe. Jet Skiers face the risk of drowning, carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, hypothermia, amputation, disfigurement, head injuries, soft tissue injuries and broken bones. People operating a Jet Ski have a duty of care to exercise caution and operate their equipment responsibly, and if they cause an accident, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against them.  If you have suffered a serious injury in a watercraft accident in the state of Texas make sure to visit the Texas Medical Center for information on recovery and rehabilitation.