Injured in a Boating Accident During Summer Vacation?
Personal injury claims can result from boating accidents but, like other types of claims, you must be able to prove that the owner of the boat violated a duty of care through negligence. In some cases, an individual may suffer an injury in a boating accident, even though no one was at fault. The key factor is in proving that the injury was suffered as a result of negligence.
Common Ways That Boating Accidents Result from Negligence
To understand how a personal injury claim can result from a boating accident, it’s first important to learn what Florida courts consider to be negligence. In fact, negligence can be an act or the absence of an act, which results in harm. Essentially, negligence is the failure to behave with the same care that the average person would exercise in that same situation. Negligence often depends on the facts of the situation and, for that reason, can vary from case to case. But there are some common types of boating accidents that can result from negligent acts. They include:
- Boat on boat collisions;
- Boat strikes a wake or wave; and
- Boat strikes an immovable object, such as submerged rocks, land, or a dock.
What are Typical Boating Accident Injuries?
A boating accident can result in a variety of injuries, though the damages an individual suffers will depend on the type and severity of the accident. In the most serious of cases, people can suffer traumatic brain injuries or spinal injuries as a result of boating accidents. These are very severe injuries, which require extensive medical treatment and often necessitate long-term therapy to recover. In some cases, the individual may never be returned to their former state of health.
Other injuries may include broken bones or torn ligaments. These injuries will also require significant medical treatments that could require time away from work, hospitalization, and physical therapy. There may also be strains or sprains that recover additional time to heal. In some cases, an injury may result in a permanent disability.
Whatever injuries you suffer, they will result in extensive medical bills and a significant loss of wages, due to time missed from work. Tampa personal injury lawyers may also be able to help you recover damages for pain and suffering and damages for your lost earning capacity, where your injuries will prevent you from returning to your career. If you have been involved in a boating accident and have been injured, the best thing you can do for yourself is to consult a personal injury lawyer with experience in boating accident claims. Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore has extensive experience in boating-negligence cases and would be happy to consult with you. Call us today at 813.225.4000.
A summer vacation in Tampa meant for “fun in the sun” could immediately turn for the worst if you become injured. Whether you have been injured through a car accident or a disaster at a theme park, it would be significant to know when you need to hire a Tampa personal injury lawyer. There are all kinds of ways you can get injured during your summer vacation.
Beyond car and theme park accidents, other common activities can also present danger to vacation-goers. Everyday activities, such as trampolines, dogs, playgrounds, and bicycles, can hold hidden dangers. Some of these particular pastimes are more likely to happen at home and may not require you to obtain a Tampa personal injury lawyer. Hazards are additionally commonplace in recreational activities, including water sports, soccer, ATVs, volleyball, baseball, and softball. Even with the right precautions, however, you may not be able to protect yourself from someone else’s negligence.
Be sure to contact a personal injury lawyer, as immediately as possible, after receiving physical damage due to another person’s carelessness. The most common type of injury reported to Tampa personal injury lawyers is from car accidents. If you were harmed for a different reason, then you may understandably feel confused about whether or not you should contact a lawyer. This is actually the very reason you should connect with an attorney. A professional can give you an evaluation of your situation. An experienced attorney is equipped not only to let you know whether there’s a case but also to help you get every bit of compensation that the law says you deserve.
Once you know that your injury was due to the negligence of another, the next thing you’ll want to do is gather evidence. Take photos, talk to eyewitnesses, and collect other bits of information you can that can prove that the accident was the fault of a particular person or entity. Report this information to a personal injury attorney in Tampa, Florida — one you can trust.
We hope your summer vacation will prove to be everything you hoped it would be. But if your summer did not go well due to injuries caused by negligence, we are here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact our experienced attorneys at Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore at 813.225.4000. We would be honored to talk with you.
Tampa, one of Florida’s largest west-coast cities, has recently earned bad publicity for its high number of bicycling accidents. Now there are new biker-friendly laws that are designed to prevent future accidents. As a bicyclist, it’s important to know the importance of being protected by the law.
The Solution to City Bicycling Problem
In many cities, bicyclists are not kept safe from dangerous cars that come too close. They have very little space to ride on the street, and in some areas, there are no sidewalks at all. As a result, accidents occur between cars and bicycles – and, more frequently than not, the bicyclist is the one who takes the brunt of the injuries.
Tampa has solved this problem by creating bike lanes. Bikers are classified as vehicles and given their own spacious lanes on the road. They no longer have to share lanes with drivers. The Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law states that bicyclists have the same rights as drivers and motorcyclists, and they must follow all of the traffic laws. Local law enforcement is required to watch for illegal moves and issue fines, if necessary.
Attorneys Are More Helpful
While the law is now more protective of the rights of Tampa bicyclists, accidents can still occur between drivers and bikers. When they do, contacting a personal injury lawyer in Tampa is the ideal option.
An attorney collects evidence and determines who is at fault for the accident. If the driver is at fault, a lawyer argues your position in court. If the defendant driver is found to have been negligent, he or she will be expected to provide compensation for your medical bills, vehicular damages, and lost wages.
The process may seem straightforward, but it’s more difficult when trying to navigate on your own. Finding the right attorney to help you should be your first step in the aftermath of an accident.
The new biker-friendly laws in Tampa are designed with peace, co-existence, and protection in mind. When they work as intended, the laws help prevent bicycle accidents from happening on busy streets. Bicyclists are protected from physical harm, and drivers are protected from personal liability. If an accident does happen, however, Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore has a team of Tampa personal injury attorneys who are prepared to take your case and fight hard for you.
