Summertime Boat Accidents: Common Injuries on the Water

tampa boating accident lawyersBoating is one of the most common forms of recreation in Tampa, Florida. It is especially popular during the summer. If you have been invited to go boating with friends, you should be mindful of your personal safety. It is the responsibility of the boat owner to keep his or her passengers safe as well. There is a temptation among some boat owners to combine alcohol and recklessness with boating, and this can lead to tragic consequences.

If you have been injured in a boating accident that owes to the carelessness, recklessness, or negligence of another, then you should consider taking legal action. Tampa boating accident lawyers can help you.

Common Boating Injuries

Boats are powerful waterborne vehicles equipped with advanced machinery and electrical systems and devices of various kinds. A collision, grounding, or other boating accident can compromise the integrity of the boat in ways that put people in danger. Here are some of the most common types of boating injuries:

1. Drowning

This of course is the most lethal consequence of a boating accident. Even if everyone on a boat can swim, a collision can cause the kind of brain trauma that makes it impossible to tread water and get to safety. If someone is unconscious before being thrown overboard by a collision, then they are likely to drown.

2. Brain injury

This can occur in two ways. It can result from oxygen deprivation when an individual is submerged underwater for an extended period of time. It can also come as a result of being thrown against a bulkhead or piece of heavy machinery during a boat-related collision.

3. Spinal cord injury

A spinal cord can be compressed when a boat bounces violently up and down owing to its encounter with waves or the wake of another vessel.

4. Lacerations

Cuts, bruises, bumps, and deep scratches can occur when a person is thrown across the boat because of a crash or a sudden turn.

 

How a Personal Injury Law Firm in Tampa FL Can Help

If you have been injured in a boating accident, you should contact a personal injury law firm in Tampa FL as soon as you can. Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore heads a team of Tampa boating accident lawyers who possess the judgment and experience to get you justice. You should contact Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore to discuss your legal options.