Unfortunately, there is no shortage of ways in which negligent boat operation can put the operator and everyone around them at risk of serious harm. Being thrown into open water after a violent collision can be sometimes be just as dangerous as falling onto pavement. However, if you can prove your accident on the water stemmed from someone else’s misconduct, you could potentially hold that person financially accountable for the harm you have sustained.
Successfully filing suit over a boat collision or any other type of waterborne accident will be difficult. Assistance from a Miramar Beach boat accident lawyer can make a huge difference in your odds of securing a favorable case result. Whether you need help recovering for short-term medical bills or have suffered life-altering trauma, support from a dedicated personal injury attorney is going to be vital in getting paid what you deserve.
Just like with accidents on land, the legal theory at the heart of virtually every lawsuit built around an accident on the water is “negligence.” This is the idea that someone who inadvertently causes harm by being careless or reckless should be liable for the effects of their misconduct, including the physical and emotional harm a person endured. In practice, this means successfully suing someone else over a boat accident generally requires proving that a specific irresponsible action they took, or failed to take, counted as a “breach” of duty. All boaters are expected to act responsibly while operating their vessels, so they do not cause an accident.
Someone who establishes negligence in this way after a boat collision or other accident on the water can generally hold that negligent person liable to pay for all past and future losses they will experience directly due to that incident. In many cases, that can include:
A Miramar Beach boat accident attorney could provide crucial help with building a strong case against an irresponsible boater and demanding fair restitution for all available damages.
Importantly, someone who gets hurt and files suit over a boat accident in Florida can still be found partially to blame for their own damages if a court determines they too were negligent in a way which contributed to causing their accident. In this scenario, Florida Statutes § 768.81 would allow that court to proportionally reduce the total amount of compensation that plaintiff could receive by the share of total fault they hold for their injuries.
Additionally, Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4) sets a four-year deadline for beginning litigation over any kind of accident, usually starting from when the accident actually occurred. A recent change to the law has shortened this timeframe to just two years, for any accident occurring after March 24, 2023.
With this in mind, it is important to contact a law firm and start the case process as quickly as possible after a boat accident near Miramar Beach.
Boat accidents are uniquely traumatic incidents that can often be life-threatening. Any person who causes one through reckless or careless misconduct should be held accountable for their actions. When you have been hurt in this way and want to explore your legal rights, speaking with experienced legal counsel should be your number-one priority.
You deserve a Miramar Beach boat accident lawyer who will be with you every step of the way. Call today for a free consultation with Emmanuel Sheppard and Condon.