With the warm summer weather upon us, more and more people are taking their boats out on the water. Usually taking the boat out entails a day of fishing, good eating, socializing with friends, and more. However, if you were injured on a boat due to another party’s negligence, it can turn a day of relaxing fun into a horrible situation. If you have been injured, here are some of the questions you may have:
What should boat owners do to ensure their boat is safe?
If someone invites you on a boating trip, there are several preliminary precautions they should have taken before you step aboard. Some of the safety measures a responsible boat owner should take are:
- Ensuring the through-hull connections are not leaking
- Looking for signs of blade pitting
- Checking for significant scrapes on the hull
- Ensure the boat is not taking on water
- Ensure the proper safety devices are aboard, such as horns, working flares, personal flotation devices, fire extinguishers and more.
If you were injured because a boat owner failed to take one or more of these precautions, there is a good chance you are entitled to receive financial compensation.
How may I receive compensation following a boating accident?
In order to recover compensation, you must first prove another party’s negligence. Your best chance to prove your claim is if you or someone else aboard the boat was able to record the incident on video. However, these accidents often happen in a split second, so it is no surprise if nobody was able to capture it on film. Therefore, if you can get other parties aboard the boat to confirm your story, this may also help you win your case. Additionally, and rather obviously, if you were injured, you must see a medical professional immediately. The sooner you go, the better. If you go immediately, the records will show a sense of urgency in your particular situation. A medical professional will treat your injuries and provide you with medical documents detailing the severity of your injuries. After you file your personal injury claim, you should do your best to avoid posting on social media. There is a good chance that the insurance companies will be monitoring your account to ensure you do not post anything that may invalidate your claim. If they find something that they can use against you as evidence, it may be detrimental to your claim, and you could lose out on your compensation.
Contact our New Jersey firm
The law firm of Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller, P.C., is composed of experienced defense attorneys throughout the state of New Jersey. Please contact the office for a free initial consultation and get any questions answered regarding criminal charges and procedures.