Boat Accidents in Los Angeles: Injury Claims on the Water

The state of California has an extensive coastline and some of the state’s biggest counties are located alongside the geographical coastline, at the shore of the Pacific Ocean. Apart from having access to the ocean, Los Angeles also has harbors, marinas and lakes, and water sports lovers know how to enjoy all the nature has to offer.

Marina del Rey in Los Angeles is the largest man-made small craft harbor in North America, with slips for several thousand boats. However, this is just the largest designated place for boats in L.A. and there are many more boat owners who enjoy sailing out onto the ocean.

With such a high number of boats and water sports lovers and with the favorable warm climate to encourage boating all year round, L.A. is a place where boat accidents do happen. They can happen not only to boat owners but also to tourists enjoying a vacation in California. If you have been injured in a boat accident in California, you should know that you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

A Los Angeles personal injury attorney can examine your case and help you decide the proper legal action in a case like this.

Boating injuries in Los Angeles

Boating accidents can happen for a number of reasons, but many of them are due to negligence on the part of the boat operator. This becomes serious when families with children come on vacation in California and one of the family members is injured because of a malfunction of the boat or any other unfortunate mishap. Although some activities, particularly those that involve more dangerous water sports, will require a consent from the tourist before he or she engages in any activities, boat accidents can happen on a simple boat cruise along L.A.’s coast, harbors or lakes and sometimes they can be attributed to the poor qualifications of the boat operator.

Common causes for boat accidents in Los Angeles and other Californian cities include:

– mechanical problems,

– defective equipment,

– careless boat operation or lack of attention while sailing,

– operating the boat under the influence of alcohol,

– passenger/water skier negligent acts or misbehavior.

While in some cases the fault can be attributed to the owner of the boat or the company that provides sailing services, in other situations, like those listed above, the fault can belong to the individual who rented and sailed the boat. If you are on a boat and are injured as a result of someone else’s negligence or lack of attention, you can ask for compensations.

A personal injury attorney in California will be able to help you if you have been injured in a boat accident in L.A. An attorney can help establish the degree of negligence, both on your part and on the part of the boat owner. Because not all accidents can be attributed solely to the negligence of the accused party, a personal injury lawyer can help you make a solid case using all the available evidence.

If you suffer other types of injuries, such as those caused by the negligence of a physician, you can still claim compensation for these injuries that would not have occurred otherwise. Working with a medical malpractice lawyer in Los Angeles is advisable in these circumstances. A lawyer can help you gather the needed evidence or use expert witnesses for your case.

We invite you to watch the following video for more information about boat accidents in L.A.:

Compensations for boat accidents in L.A.

Depending on the severity of the accident and the injuries sustained, you can be entitled to several types of compensations. The list below includes the four most common ones:

Medical bills: these are the types of compensations most commonly awarded and cover the medical treatment needed to treat the boat accident injuries.
Future medical bills: when the injuries are extensive and require long-term medical treatment, the victim can claim a compensation that will cover their estimated cost.
Lost wages: when the victim is unable to work during the recovery period after the boat accident, he or she can claim compensation for the lost income.
Damaged property: this includes the damages to property lost or broken in the accident.

An online personal injury calculator is useful for adding up these four types of compensations. However, victims should remember that insurance companies may not use the same calculation method or they may try to minimize the claim. The victim can also claim non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering and emotional distress. Such damages are often significant in high-impact accidents or those that result in catastrophic injuries that have a severe psychological effect on the victim. The help of a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer is most recommended in these cases.

Legal actions for boat accidents in Los Angeles

Boat accident claims in Los Angeles may be governed by federal maritime law or California law, and a personal injury attorney in Los Angeles can use the various maritime or tort and negligence laws to help build a solid case. In California, the law requires that a report is filed after a boating accident. This is typically filed by the operator of the boat, who can be a private owner or a company. The documents are then submitted to the agency that regulates boating in the state, like the California Division of Boating and Waterways.

Depending on the severity of the accident and the injuries sustained, you can be entitled to compensation for the medical bills, for the damages brought to the boat (if you and another boat owner were involved in an accident) and other types of compensations.

You can contact us through the form for more information about the legal steps you can take if you have been involved in a boat accident in California. Information is also available if you have been the victim of a car accidentor any other type of accident.

A personal injury attorney can help you if you have been injured in a boat accident in the Los Angeles area. An attorney can help establish the degree of negligence on the part of the boat owner, as well as advise you as to whether your case will be best handled by a federal court or a California state court. A personal injury lawyer can help you construct a solid case using all the available evidence.