Port St Lucie Boating Accident Lawyer

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Boating Accident Attorney in Port St. Lucie

Florida’s Treasure Coast is a trove of tempting waters that are ripe for boating activities. Port St. Lucie benefits from gorgeous bays, nearby lakes, and no shortage of excellent fishing spots. At the same time, boating can be a dangerous activity. When you are injured by a negligent operator — either on your vessel or on another — you could acquire serious injuries. Some boating accidents are life-altering, even, requiring the victim to receive extensive care and likely impacting their ability to earn income.

Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd can provide you with an experienced boating accident lawyer in Port St. Lucie during your time of need. Negligent boat operators could be held liable for the costs of your injury, including your medical bills, lost income, future treatment costs, and your pain and suffering. This recovery action can apply to the operator of your vessel as well as the operator of another vessel that collided with yours. You may also have a liability claim against the manufacturer of a defective product, such as a faulty flotation device or a dangerous speedboat design.

During your boating accident claim, we promise to work with you and give your case the level of attention it deserves. We will help you calculate all of your damages and seek recovery from all liable parties.

Give us a call today at (866) 460-1990 or contact us online, and we can provide you with a free, no-obligation case review.

Boating Accident Statistics for Port St. Lucie

Like many beautiful cities along Florida’s coast, Port St. Lucie has a high number of registered vessels — as well as a number of yearly accidents that occur.

According to 2019 boating accident statistics from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, St. Lucie County as a whole has 13,323 registered vessels. In 2019, 12 reportable accidents occurred, leading to two injuries. Fortunately, no deaths were reported. In total, reported accidents led to $57,200 in property damage.

St. Lucie County ranks 19 out of 57 Florida counties with registered boating vessels in terms of its accident rate. However, Martin County to the south ranks much higher. Its 30 accidents, 19 injuries, and 3 deaths in 2019 qualify it as the sixth-worst county for boating accidents by the rate of registered vessels.

However, note that these statistics might exclude unreported boating accidents and unreported injuries — a common occurrence in Florida’s waters.

Also worthy of note is the fact that Florida had the highest number of boating accident-related fatalities of any state in 2019.

Common Types of Boating Accidents and Injuries

The most commonly reported type of boating accident in Florida for 2019 by far was “collision with another vessel.” Number two was “collision with a fixed object,” while number three was “falls overboard.”

Other common types of boating accidents include:

• Flooding/swamping
• Grounding
• Capsizing
• Struck underwater object
• Vessel wake damage
• Fuel fire/explosion
• Skier mishaps

The vast majority of vessels involved in accidents were engaged in recreational cruising.

Falls overboard are the most common incident involved in a fatal boating accident. Note that 80% of operators involved in fatal accidents in 2019 had no boater education, and 88% of victims were not wearing a personal floatation device (PFD).

In terms of injuries from non-fatal boating accidents, the most common type of injury in 2019 were as follows:

• Lacerations (cuts)
• Contusions (bruising)
• Broken bones
• Head injury
• Internal injury
• Back injury
• Burns
• Sprain/strain
• Teeth and jaw injuries
• Neck injuries
• Hypothermia
• Spinal injury
• Shock
• Amputation

Who Is At Fault for My Port St. Lucie Boating Injury?

Most often, boating accidents can be attributed to mistakes made by the operator of the vessel the victim was occupying. Sometimes, mistakes made by an operator in another vessel can cause the victim’s boat to collide with it or become capsized.

If your boating accident was caused by negligence, then the negligent operator (or another involved party) can be legally compelled to pay your resulting damages.

Common types of boating negligence in Port St. Lucie include:

• Operating while intoxicated
• Speeding
• Dangerous maneuvers
• Ignoring navigation signage
• Operating a vessel they have inadequate knowledge of handling
• No proper lookout/ inattention
• Reckless operation
• Machinery or equipment failure (defective product or negligent maintenance)
• Improper anchoring
• Violation of navigation rules
• Overloading

To establish fault for your injury, you need to identify which party was negligent, which refers to a party that breached their duty of care. A boating operator can be negligent by speeding, but adult chaperones may also be found negligent in the event that they were supervising minors and failed to provide the proper flotation device or instruct in its use.

Boating equipment or material failures are also common. In the event that a product defect caused your incident, your Port St. Lucie boating accident lawyer can file a defective products claim against all applicable product manufacturers.

Don’t Be Left Paying for the Costs of Your Boating Accident, Contact an Experienced Port St. Lucie Attorney

Boating is supposed to be about fun and recreation, but when operators are negligent or manufacturers put product users in danger, a happy memory can quickly become an unexpected tragedy. 

If you were hurt or have had a loved one tragically killed in a recent boating accident in Port St. Lucie, reach out to Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd. You will receive experienced guidance as we help you identify all at-fault parties and seek the maximum amount of damages available under the law.

Call (866) 460-1990 or contact us online to schedule your free, no-obligation case review now.