Boating is a pastime that thousands of Floridians and visitors to Florida participate in throughout the year. Occasionally, accidents can happen due to the negligence of others.

If you’ve been in a boating accident in Miami or anywhere in South Florida, you need the proven skill and knowledge of the Miami personal injury law firm of Youngs and Associates, P.A., with over 30 years of experience representing victims of auto and boating accidents caused by another’s negligence.

Florida has almost 1197 miles of ocean shoreline and nearly as many square miles of inland water for boating, fishing and other water sports. The pristine waters up and down Florida’s coast are also home to boating accidents.

The causes of boating accidents vary greatly. The most common type of accident involving open motorboats is collision with another vessel, followed by accidents involving skier mishaps, and falls overboard.

The leading causes of accidents with both open motorboats and personal water craft are:
• Operator inattention
• Operator inexperience
• Speeding
• Alcohol

Your accident injuries, if they are the fault of another’s negligence, or faulty equipment, may entitle you to compensation for those injuries. The Miami accident attorney’s at Youngs and Associates, P.A. have represented numerous clients who were seriously injured while riding in cars or boating, fishing or using a personal watercraft.. You will never have to pay any fees upfront and we only get paid if you are awarded monetary compensation.
If you’ve been injured in a boating accident, contact the Miami personal injury firm of Youngs and Associates, P.A. and set up a free case evaluation. If you can’t come to our offices, we will meet you wherever it is convenient for you.

Did you know that if an accident occurs on a boat, Florida law requires that the boat operator must file an accident report in many circumstances? If the operator is unable to file this report, the owner of the boat is responsible for filing an accident report.

In 2006, the State of Florida changed boating accident reporting criteria to conform to recent changes implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard. Since July 1, 2003, a “reportable boating accident” has been defined as a boating accident involving any one or more of the following:

Death of any person,
Disappearance of any person under circumstances that indicate possible death or injury,
Personal injury requiring medical treatment beyond immediate first aid, or
Damage to any vessel or other property with a minimum of $2000 aggregate property damage.

NOTE: The reporting threshold for property damage accidents was increased from the previous figure of $500 to the current figure of $2000 to compensate for the rise in repair costs over the years. This change led to a reduction in Florida’s reportable boating accident figures by approximately one-third of the previous numbers. While the casual reader may determine that accident numbers appear to have declined significantly compared to previous years, it is important to realize that the change in the reporting threshold has led to the statistics being skewed for the next several years. The State of Florida set a new record for vessel registrations in 2006, with numbers soaring to 1,024,375 registered boats including both commercial and recreational registrations. Additionally, there is an estimated 350,000 non-registered boats actively using Florida’s waters and this segment of the boating population has been growing rapidly. Our waterways increasingly show the strains of congestion as each year brings more residents and visitors to utilize our abundant water resources and take advantage of our mild climate.
Drowning was the leading cause of death (62%) in fatal boating accidents.