Many people enjoy spending a day on the water on Lake Lanier and other lakes near Atlanta. However, recreational boating accidents can lead to severe injuries and deaths. Many boat accidents are caused by boating while intoxicated. Others are the result of inexperience, failing to keep a proper lookout, excessive speed, or disregarding safe boating regulations.
If you have suffered serious injuries in an Atlanta boating accident and someone else was at fault, you may have questions about your rights to recover compensation. Contact Bayuk Pratt for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney. Our law firm has recovered more than $300 million for our clients, including people injured in boating accidents. Let us show you why we’re one of Atlanta’s most trusted personal injury law firms.
What Are Some Types of Atlanta Boating Accidents?
Boating accidents typically fall into four main categories:
- Collision with another boat — These incidents involve two or more watercraft colliding, often due to the negligence of one or more boat operators.
- Collision with a fixed object — The accident scene of a boat collision may be a dock, a bridge pier, a buoy, or another fixed object struck by a boat.
- Collision with a floating object — These incidents occur when a vessel or boat propeller strikes a swimmer or an object floating in the water, such as a log or another large object.
- Overboard incidents — In these incidents, a passenger falls overboard, potentially due to reckless boating or intoxication. Accidents like this can lead to drowning.
People involved in boat accidents have the same rights and responsibilities as people in car accidents. An Atlanta personal injury lawyer at Bayuk Pratt can determine the at-fault party and explain your legal options to pursue financial accountability.
What Sorts of Boats and Watercraft Can Be Involved in Boating Accidents?
Any type of recreational boat or watercraft can be involved in a serious accident. They can be mid-sized vessels like speedboats and pontoon boats, larger vessels like catamarans, or even personal watercraft like jet skis. Non-motorized boats, such as sailboats and kayaks, can also be involved in accidents. Boating accidents can happen to any vessel that can collide with another object or capsize.
What Are the Main Causes of Atlanta Boat Accidents?
The primary cause of most boat accidents is operator negligence, which can take the form of inexperience, recklessness, inattention, or boating under the influence. Adverse weather and lack of safety equipment can also be key factors contributing to serious accidents. Common causes of boat accidents include the following:
- Operator inexperience — Georgia law allows young people under age 12 to operate boats under 16 feet in length that are non-motorized or have motors of 30 horsepower or less, when accompanied by an adult. Young boaters may not have the experience to operate a vessel, which can lead to collisions if a young boater uses bad judgment.
- Reckless boating — Speeding and other reckless behaviors increase the chances of a collision with another vessel or object.
- Boating under the influence (BUI) — It is illegal to operate a boat, sailboat, personal watercraft, or sailboard in Georgia while under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating substance. Boaters ages 21 years or older are considered legally intoxicated if they have a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher. It is illegal for younger boaters under age 21 to operate a boat with a blood alcohol level of .02 percent or higher.
- Poor weather conditions — Storms, fog, and other adverse weather conditions that reduce visibility can make collisions more likely.
- Lack of safety equipment — Injuries and drownings can occur during an emergency if boats lack the proper safety equipment, such as enough life jackets for all passengers.
What Are Common Atlanta Boating Accident Injuries?
Victims of boating accidents suffer the same types of injuries as victims of other motor vehicle accidents and may need emergency care from medical providers:
- Traumatic brain injuries — Blows to the head during a vessel collision can cause traumatic brain injuries that leave victims with permanent cognitive and physical impairment.
- Spinal cord Injuries — The impact of a boat crash at high speed can cause catastrophic injuries such as crushed vertebrae and spinal cord damage, requiring emergency medical treatment.
- Fractured bones — The impact of a boat collision can cause physical injuries such as broken bones, requiring surgery in some cases and leading to a lengthy recovery.
- Burns and lacerations — Boat fires can cause burns, and other incidents, such as being struck by a propeller, can leave victims with lacerations.
- Drownings — Boating accidents can result in drowning. While not all drownings are fatal, they can leave victims with mounting medical bills and long-term disability due to a lack of oxygen getting to the brain. Many fatal drownings involve boaters who fall overboard without life jackets.
Where Do Most Atlanta Boating Accidents Happen?
Most boating accidents in the Atlanta area occur at Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona. According to data from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, in a recent year, Lake Lanier had 82 cases of boating under the influence and 12 boating accidents involving injuries. Lake Allatoona had 36 cases of boating under the influence and eight boating accidents involving injuries.
Anyone involved in a boating accident should seek medical attention. Medical records detailing the medical care you received after a serious accident can be evidence to support a personal injury claim.
Who Can Be Held Liable for an Atlanta Boating Accident?
The determination of the at-fault party requires an investigation by an Atlanta personal injury attorney with experience handling boating accident cases. Depending on the circumstances, various parties may be held financially responsible for a boating accident. Some of the parties most frequently held liable in personal injury cases include:
- Boat operators — Negligent operators may be liable for the injuries of their passengers and others they strike.
- Boat owners — Owners may be liable if they allow an unaccompanied child or unqualified individual to operate their boat or personal watercraft, resulting in an accident.
- Boat manufacturers — Manufacturers may be liable if a defective part contributes to an accident.
- Safety equipment manufacturers — Manufacturers of safety equipment can be liable if defective equipment, such as life preservers that fail to inflate, contributes to your injuries.
If you suffered harm in a boat accident due to someone else’s negligence, you should seek experienced legal representation. A knowledgeable attorney at Bayuk Pratt can handle communications with insurance companies, determine insurance coverage available, and develop a personal injury claim to prove negligence and demand fair compensation.
What Types of Damages Might Be Available for a Boat Accident?
The compensation you can seek through a boating accident lawsuit may include the following:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost income
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Permanent disability
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Non economic damages such as emotional distress
- Death benefits like funeral expenses and burial costs
- Property damage.
Does Georgia Have a Time Limit for Filing a Boat Accident Lawsuit?
Under Ga. Code § 9-3-33, boat accident victims have two years from their injury date to file personal injury lawsuits. If you initiate the legal process after the deadline expires, the court will likely dismiss your case, preventing you from seeking compensation for your injuries.
Contact an Atlanta Boat Accident Lawyer
At Bayuk Pratt, our Atlanta personal injury trial lawyers have over 50 years of combined legal experience handling personal injury, wrongful death, and civil litigation cases. Our law firm has a proven track record with more than $300 million recovered for our clients.
Our founding partners are former senior attorneys at two of the world’s largest defense law firms. Our legal team uses that insider knowledge of how insurance companies defend against claims to advocate more effectively and demand maximum compensation for injured people.
Contact our firm today for a free consultation with one of our skilled Atlanta boat accident lawyers. We’ll review your case, explain your options for seeking compensation, and walk you through the process of filing your lawsuit.